HB  171  .A7  1853 

Arnot,  William,  1808-1875 

The  race  for  riches 


I 


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THE  RACE  FOR  RICHES, 

AND 

SOME  OF  THE  PITS  INTO  WHICH  THE 
RUNNERS  FALL: 

$\x  ttthttB, 

APPLYING  THE  WORD  OF  GOD  TO  THE  TRAFFIC  OF  MEN. 

BY 

WILLIAM"  ARNOT, 

MINISTER    OF    FREE    ST.    PETER'S,    GLASGOW. 
AMERICAN     EDITION. 

WITH    PREFACE   AND    NOTES, 
BY   STEPHEN   COLWELL. 


<uq>j 


PHILADELPHIA: 
LIPPINCOTT,    GRAMBO   &   CO. 

185  3. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853,  by 

LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMBO  &  CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 

the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PREFACE 


TO 

THE    AMERICAN    EDITION. 


The  little  volume  which  we  now  give  to 
the  American  public,  has  passed  rapidly 
through  several  editions  in  Scotland.  It  is 
from  the  pen  of  an  eminent  minister  of  the 
Free  Church  in  that  country,  Pastor  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Peter,  in  Glasgow.  With  very 
slight  allowance  for  difference  of  circumstances, 
the  lessons  it  contains  are  as  applicable  here, 
as  in  the  land  in  which  they  were  first  deli- 
vered :  we  believe  there  is  as  much  need  for 
these  lessons  here  as  there,  although  we  may 
not  admit  that  we  are  more  devoted  worship- 
pers of  Mammon  than  the  people  of  Scotland. 
It  is  true,  there  is  no  special  lack  of  literature 
on  the  subject  of  covetousness,  and  the  reli- 
gious uses  of  wealth;    yet,  there  is,  in  the 

(iii) 


IV  PREFACE   TO    THE 

production  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Arnott,  a  fresh- 
ness of  diction  and  a  vigor  of  thought,  well 
calculated  to  make  salutary  impressions.  It 
will  scarcely  be  laid  down  without  a  thorough 
perusal,  by  those  who  look  into  it  sufficiently 
to  seize  the  spirit  of  the  writer.  We  commend 
it  most  heartily  to  all  who  would  have  their 
souls  stirred  up  with  thoughts  and  suggestions, 
which  must,  if  prevalent,  infuse  new  life  and 
energy  into  the  Christian  movements  of  the 
present  day.  For,  although  his  subject  is 
covetousness,  the  author,  impelled  by  the 
pressure  of  his  thoughts,  has  bounded  away 
from  the  negative,  and  assumed  the  tone  and 
the  course  of  teaching  which  belong  to  the 
positive  precepts  of  Christianity.  He  felt  con- 
strained to  declare  to  his  hearers,  not  merely 
what  they  should  not  do,  but,  betaking  him- 
self to  the  direct  mode  of  exhortation,  he 
urges  what  they  should  do.  This  is  the 
natural  impulse  of  an  earnest  man,  and  the 
natural  action  of  a  sound  mind.  The  author 
of  "  Mammon  "  was  driven  to  the  same  course 
by  the  exigencies  of  the  same  topic.  He 
could  not  remain  in  the  narrow  but  logical 
sphere  of  a  subject  which  simply  forbade 
covetousness.     It  may  be  safely  assumed  that 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  V 

no  estimate  of  Christianity,  no  summary  of 
its  duties,  no  exhibition  of  its  compass  and 
bearings  can  be  made,  by  those  who  attempt 
to  unfold  the  "New  Commandment"  —  the 
duties  enjoined  by  the  New  Testament,  from 
the  negative  precepts  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Such  an  attempt  is  objectionable  in  so  many 
respects  as  to  appear  absurd.  If  the  conse- 
quences be  considered  —  it  is  perhaps  worse 
than  absurd — perhaps  it  is  wicked.  It  takes 
the  prohibitions  accompanying  the  Ceremonial 
Law  of  the  Old  Dispensation,  which  has  passed 
away,  and  develops  from  them  the  positive 
duties  enjoined  by  the  New  Testament,  which 
relate  to  the  inward  and  spiritual:  it  over- 
looks and  slights  the  very  copious  and  com- 
prehensive instructions  of  our  Lord,  covering 
the  whole  ground  of  this  attempted  develop- 
ment, and  the  whole  ground  of  Christian  life 
and  duty  ! 

But  it  is  not  merely  wrong  to  unfold  the 
great  system  of  the  Law  of  Christ  from  the 
negative  commands  of  the  Old  Testament,  it 
is  logically  impossible.  Every  attempt  of  this 
kind,  whatever  of  good  it  may  contain,  must, 
to  the  discriminating  and  unprejudiced  mind, 
appear  to  be  what  it  cannot  fail  to  be,  un- 
1* 


Vi  PREFACE   TO    THE 

worthy  of  the  subject,  and  discreditable  to  the 
intellectual  power  employed  upon  it.  To 
develop  the  law  of  love  and  kindness  to  our 
fellow-men,  as  taught  us  by  Christ,  from  the 
command,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  is  a  task  as 
difficult  and  hopeless  as  that  of  extracting  the 
obligation  to  pay  our  debts  from  the  command, 
"  Thou  shalt  not  covet;"  or  the  obligation  to 
"do  good  and  lend,"  from  the  command, 
"Thou  shalt  not  steal."  Those  who  would 
proclaim  the  great  duties  of  Christianity,  are 
under  no  necessity  of  teaching  through  nega- 
tive commands :  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  their 
duty,  as  it  is  their  privilege,  to  teach  and 
unfold  the  obligations  of  Christian  life  from 
the  positive  commands  of  our  Lord  himself. 
These  enjoin  every  duty  of  man  to  God,  and 
every  duty  of  man  to  man,  that  can  be  con- 
ceived, and  they  virtually  forbid  every  sin 
that  is  inconsistent  with  these  duties:  obe- 
dience to  these  injunctions,  so  far  as  perfect, 
casts  out  and  excludes  all  lusts  and  passions 
which  war  against  God  and  man,  and  all 
offences  against  both.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
comprehend  how  much  more  powerfully  and 
ally  armed  at  all  points  is  the  Christian,  who 
goes  into  the  world   as   the  ambassador  of 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  Vll 

Christ,  to  tell  men  what  they  must  do,  than 
he  who  confines  himself  to  telling  them  what 
they  must  not  do.  This  is  very  plainly  seen, 
as  we  have  said  previously,  in  the  work  before 
us,  and  also  in  "  Mammon : "  and  it  is  the 
reason  why  both  writers  have  frequently  left 
the  path  which  their  subject  prescribed,  to 
treat  of  the  social  bearings  of  Christianity 
from  the  positive  side. 

It  would  be  a  happy  event  if  these  two 
earnest  Divines  should  both  revert  to  the  sub- 
ject, and,  taking  into  view  the  whole  Law  of 
Christ,  unfold  its  length  and  breadth,  exhibit 
its  comprehensiveness,  its  far-reaching  wisdom, 
and  its  soul-pervading  qualities ;  such  a  de- 
velopment, carried  boldly  and  firmly  into  the 
business,  the  maxims  and  philosophy  of  this 
world,  would  bear  with  it  a  power  seldom  felt 
in  those  circles.  It  would  expose  to  contempt 
and  pity  many  of  the  hiding-places  of  spiritual 
pride  and  selfishness,  many  sores  of  the  body 
politic  and  social,  and  many  of  the  hollow 
places  in  our  religious  systems  and  Christian 
life. 

It  is  a  fact,  as  much  to  be  lamented  as  it  is 
to  be  remarked,  that  our  English  religious 
literature  is  without  any  respectable  work  on 


Vlll  PREFACE    TO    THE 

the  great  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself; "  or,  upon  the  golden 
rule  which  contains  the  stringent  law,  "As  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye 
also  to  them  likewise."  It  cannot  be  thought, 
for  a  moment,  that  these  laws  do  not  deserve, 
for  their  importance,  the  largest  development 
which  human  experience  or  human  ability 
can  give  them.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  they 
cover  the  whole  ground  of  social  life,  civil  and 
religious.  They  embrace  the  whole  subjects 
of  charity  and  beneficence ;  they  include  the 
philosophy  of  morals  and  of  manners.  If  our 
religion  be  divided  into  that  which  pertains 
to  our  duty  to  God  and  that  which  pertains 
to  our  duty  to  man,  then  these  two  laws  con- 
tain the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  latter, 
as  the  command  to  "  Love  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind,"  contains  the  fundamental  doctrines  of 
our  duty  to  God.  Of  course,  love,  in  the  latter 
case,  implies  faith ;  for  no  one  can  love  Him 
in  whom  he  has  not  believed.  Whilst  our 
theology  has  largely  and  richly  developed  our 
duty  to  God,  it  has  left  the  far  more  compli- 
cated subject  of  onr  duty  to  man  compara- 
tively untouched.    The  obligation  to  love  our 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  IX 

fellow-man  is  not  less  imperative  nor  less  a 
religious  duty,  than  the  obligation  to  love 
God :  the  degree  of  love  enjoined  is  less  in 
one  case  than  in  the  other,  but  the  duty  of 
obedience  is  equally  binding  in  both  cases. 
Our  religious  duties  to  our  fellow-men,  which, 
by  their  nature  and  comprehensiveness,  bear 
upon  all  the  business  and  social  intercourse 
of  life,  remain  yet  to  be  set  forth  with  that 
method,  fulness  and  cogency,  which  their  im- 
portance demands.  To  assert  or  to  suppose 
that  this  has  been  done,  only  betrays  want 
of  knowledge  or  want  of  consideration.  Moral 
philosophy  and  Political  Economy,  which 
refer  to  the  largest  divisions  of  this  subject, 
have,  even  in  the  hands  of  Christians,  failed 
to  draw  their  principles  from  the  Law  of 
Christ,  even  where  these  explicitly  cover  the 
very  ground  of  discussion.  The  men  of  the 
world  have  decided  that  neither  of  the  above- 
named  sciences  has  any  connection  with 
Christianity,  and  Christian  authors  have  vir- 
tually admitted  this  position  by  treating  these 
subjects,  without  invoking  the  authority  or 
the  principles  of  Divine  Truth.  There  are 
many  indications  that  such  an  omission  will 
not  be  much  longer  endured.     Not  a  few  are 


X  PREFACE   TO   THE 

found  in  the  pages  now  submitted  to  the 
reader,  and  not  a  few  were  contained  in  the 
pages  of  "  Mammon."  Of  the  latter,  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  specimen :  "  It  is  clear  that  the 
entire  economy  of  salvation  is  constructed  on 
the  principle  of  restoring  to  the  world  the 
lost  principle  of  love.*  It  was  confronting 
selfishness,  in  its  own  native  region,  with  a 
system  of  benevolence,  prepared  as  its  avowed 
antagonist  by  the  hand  of  God  itself."  And 
yet,  if  this  be  so,  where,  in  our  religious  lite- 
rature, is  the  explanation  of  "  this  principle 
of  love — this  system  of  benevolence  prepared 
by  the  hand  of  God  V  Have  Christians  ne- 
glected to  consider,  discuss,  and  develop  this 
principle,  upon  which  "  the  entire  economy  of 
our  salvation  is  constructed  ?"  If  so,  the 
omission  is  of  fatal  consequence,  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  he  adds  —  "But  has  its  object 
been  realized?  More  than  1800  years  have 
elapsed  since  it  was  brought  into  operation  — 
has  its  design  succeeded  ?  Succeeded  !  Alas  ! 
the  question  seems  a  taunt,  a  mockery!"  But 
why  is  it  thus?  Why  has  the  gospel  been 
hitherto  threatened  with  the  failure  of  a  mere 
business  experiment  ?  .  .  .  "  But  who  does  not 

*  Neglected,  not  lost. 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XI 

feel  that  the  era  of  effective  benevolence  has 
yet  to  commence  ?  Let  him  sketch  the  most 
simple  scheme  of  benevolence  which  the 
Gospel  can  approve,  and  he  will  perceive  that, 
at  every  step,  he  is  writing  the  condemnation 
of  the  Church.  The  great  lesson  taught  by 
our  Lord's  voluntary  selection  of  a  state  of 
poverty,  is  yet  to  be  fully  understood,  the  evi- 
dent application  of  many  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture to  be  made,  doctrines  startling  to  selfish- 
ness to  become  familiar  and  welcome,  the  word 
benevolence  itself  to  be  differently  understood, 
and  the  whole  economy  of  benevolence  to  be 
revised." 

We  believe  it  to  be  a  part  of  our  religion  to 
love  our  fellow-men,  and  to  act  as  if  we  loved 
them :  Christianity  consists,  not  wholly  in 
faith,  nor  in  believing  the  facts  set  forth  in 
the  Scriptures;  it  consists  not  wholly  nor 
chiefly  in  believing  that  Christ  died  for  the 
redemption  of  sinners :  it  demands  belief  in 
what  Christ  taught  us,  and  obedience  to  his 
instructions.  It  does  not  teach  us  that  our 
justification  will  accrue  from  our  obedience ; 
but  it  requires  obedience,  and  no  man's  faith 
can  be  genuine  who  does  not  try  to  obey ;  no 
faith  can  be  safe  which  is  not  "faith  working 


Xll  PREFACE    TO    THE 

hj  Jove."  Our  holy  religion  does  not  consist 
then  simply  in  the  worship  of  God,  nor  in  be- 
lieving in  God ;  it  consists  in  our  duty  to  God 
and  our  duty  to  man.*  Whatever  may  be  said 
of  the  manner  in  which  we  fulfil  these  duties, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  our  religious  litera- 
ture develops  far  more  amply  our  duty  to  God 
than  our  duty  to  man.  It  is  the  latter,  there- 
fore, that  we  desire  to  bring  more  fully  to  the 
attention  of  all  Christians;  not  to  displace 
nor  usurp  the  position  of  the  former;  but  that 
the  latter  may  receive  its  due  share  of  atten- 
tion, honor,  and  obedience,  as  a  part  of  that 
Christianity  we  profess. 

We  cannot  hesitate  to  urge  these  important 
truths,  because  some  well-meaning  persons 
cannot  understand  their  importance  and  per- 
tinency, nor  because  they  are  so  fearful  of 
exalting  Charity  above  Eeligion,  or  Philan- 
thropy above  Theology,  that  they  would 
banish  "  humanity "  from  religion,  and  leave 
it  to  take  refuge  among  Socialists  and  Infidels. 

*  If,  as  the  term  imports,  Theology  includes  only  our  rela- 
tions with  God,  then,  what  shall  we  call  the  doctrine  of  our 
relations  with  our  fellow-man?  If  we  have  no  name  pro- 
vided, it  is  some  proof  that  the  doctrine  is  yet  to  be  developed, 
exhibiting  the  religious  duty  of  man  to  man.  If  Theology  is 
to  be  the  term,  then  its  domain  is  to  be  extended  to  cover  this 
great  subject. 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  Xlll 

Despite  this  narrow  prejudice,  which  disables 
those  who  entertain  it  from  forming  an  ade- 
quate conception  of  Christianity,  we  intend  to 
keep  these  contemned  words,  Charity,  Hit- 
manity,  Philanthropy,  before  the  Christian 
public.  Not  that  we  would  exalt  them  above 
Christianity,  but  that  we  would  assign  them 
their  due  place  in  our  religious  systems.  We 
cannot  be  deterred  by  any  cry  of  "  Human- 
ism," or  "  Socialism,"  or  Communism,"  or  any 
similar  note  of  alarm,  from  believing  and 
avowing  that  humanity  is  a  religious  duty, 
that  it  is  enjoined  upon  us  by  Christ,  in  terras 
so  explicit,  so  strong,  and  so  frequently  re- 
peated, that  only  those  who  will  not  see  can 
be  blind  to  it.  "Good  Master,  what  shall  I 
do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?"  asked  the  lawyer. 
Our  Lord,  after  repeating  the  parable  of  the 
Good  Samaritan,  said,  "  Go,  and  do  thou  like- 
wise." His  ministry  was  one  of  such  constant 
attention  to  human  woes  and  wants,  that,  if 
no  higher  object  had  been  designed,  if  man's 
eternal  interest  had  not  been  concerned,  it 
must  have  been  pronounced  a  life  of  the  purest, 
the  most  unvarying,  the  most  untiring,  and 
the  most  effective  humanity  that  was  ever 
exhibited  on  earth,  and  that  all  he  said  was 
2 


XIV  PREFACE    TO    THE 

as  deeply  fraught  with  lessons  of  humanity 
as  all  he  did.  It  would  be  vain  to  seek,  in 
the  pages  of  Socialists  or  Humanitarians,  of 
any  degree  or  name,  any  parallel  to  the  hu- 
manity practised  and  taught  by  Christ.  It 
implies  no  conflict  with  orthodoxy  or  sound 
theology  to  say  this.  The  Apostles  recognized 
it  fully ;  it  enters  into  their  teachings :  and 
the  primitive  Christians  in  a  large  degree  ex- 
emplified it.  We  need  to  recognize  more  fully 
the  teaching  and  the  example  of  our  Saviour; 
but  this  neither  implies  nor  demands  any  sur- 
render of  the  great  cardinal  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity. Our  position  is,  that  we  can  admit 
the  whole  doctrine  of  Christian  charity,  hu- 
manity, philanthropy,  into  an  Evangelical 
Orthodox  Christianity,  not  only  without 
danger  of  error,  and  without  sacrifice  of 
truth,  but  with  positive  advantage,  and  a  new 
infusion  of  spiritual  fervor  and  energy.  Above 
all  this,  however,  it  is  as  much  our  duty  to 
receive  the  Saviour's  doctrine  of  humanity  as 
any  other  of  His  doctrines.  He  has  left  us 
no  warrant  for  its  omission.  If  any  duty  can 
be  enforced  by  the  language  and  example  of 
our  Saviour,  and  by  the  teachings  of  the 
Apostles,  those  of  humanity  and  charity  can; 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XV 

and,  however  we  may  characterize  that  huma- 
nity and  charity  which  men  exhibit  from  no 
motives  of  religion,  no  faith  in  God,  and  no 
love  to  the  Saviour,  it  cannot  be  denied,  with 
any  just  regard  to  the  words  of  Scripture,  that 
charity  and  humanity  are  essential  elements 
of  Christianity;  they  are,  when  religiously 
exercised,  among  its  most  important  charac- 
teristics. They  cannot,  however,  be  what 
they  should,  unless  they  are  religiously  exer- 
cised —  unless  they  are  overflowings  of  a 
Christian  spirit.  How  can  we  then  hesitate 
to  recommend  these  religious  duties,  and  to 
insist  that  the  doctrines  which  explain,  dis- 
tinguish, and  enforce  these  duties,  should 
receive  a  development  proportioned  to  their 
importance?  How  can  we  forget  that  our 
obligations  to  fulfil  these  duties  are  derived 
from  the  same  Divine  authority  which  enjoins 
the  duties  of  faith,  repentance,  and  prayer, 
and  that,  coming  from  that  source,  they  are 
as  much  a  part  of  our  Christianity  as  those 
duties  are. 

Our  system  of  Christian  doctrines  should 
include  the  religious  duties  we  owe  to  our 
fellow-men,  and  must  include  them,  if  it  in- 
cludes the  teachings  of  Christ.     We  cannot 


XYl  PREFACE   TO   THE 

make  up  our  religious  system  from  the  Epistles 
of  Paul,  nor  from  any  other,  or  all  the  Epistles, 
if  we  omit  the  words  of  our  Saviour  himself. 
These  contain,  specially,  the  instructions 
which  embrace  our  duty  to  our  fellow-men : 
they  are  the  highest  fountain  from  which  we 
can  draw  on  that  subject.  They  furnish  those 
pervading  rules  and  principles  which  search 
every  hidden  recess  of  the  heart,  and,  in  pro- 
portion as  they  find  entrance  there,  cast  out 
all  the  evil  thoughts  and  emotions  inconsistent 
with  them.  It  is  under  the  pressure  of  these, 
chiefly,  that  we  are  impelled  to  enter  upon 
the  performance  of  our  duties  to  men ;  and 
are  made  to  perceive  that  these  are  religions 
duties ;  and  to  acknowledge  that  no  religious 
duties  are  more  strongly  enjoined  upon  us, 
than  those  we  owe  to  the  human  family. 

We  are  then  under  the  necessity  of  inquir- 
ing what  all  this  implies  —  what  religion  re- 
quires us  to  do  for  our  fellow-men.  If  our 
faith  is  to  work  by  love,  what  is  the  work  to 
be  done?  It  is  all  comprehended  in  "Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself;"  that 
includes  all  we  need  do  for  our  neighbor.  Our 
present  object  is,  to  select  for  remark  a  single 
topic  of  the  duty  thus  intended. 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XV11 

How  can  we  intelligently  do  for  our  neigh- 
bor what  we  would  for  ourselves,  unless  we 
understand  his  true  position  in  life,  his  feel- 
ings, his  relations,  his  wants,  his  capacities, 
his  opportunities,  his  circumstances  ?  Are  we 
not  under  the  necessity  of  knowing,  as  far  as 
practicable,  all  that  concerns  man,  that  we 
may,  as  far  as  needful,  do  for  him  as  we  would 
for  ourselves ;  for,  that  loving  which  is  with- 
out doing  is  like  that  faith  which  is  without 
working.  We  must,  therefore,  as  our  intelli- 
gence and  opportunity  permit,  study  the 
actual  condition  of  men,  with  the  best  lights 
we  can  obtain  —  and  we  must  not  only  ascer- 
tain and  do  what  is  in  our  power  individually 
to  do  for  human  benefit,  but  we  must  study 
what  is  the  mutual  duty  of  men,  religious, 
political,  social,  and  philosophical.  Nothing 
short  of  the  highest  attainments  we  can  make 
in  this  knowledge,  can  adequately  fit  us  for 
loving  our  neighbor  as  ourselves.  Of  course, 
many,  nay,  all,  must  fall  short  in  this  kind 
of  knowledge  —  but  that,  alas!  is  only  what 
befalls  us  in  every  other  path  of  Christian 
duty.  We  are  speaking  of  the  comprehen- 
sive nature  of  Christ's  instructions.  We  com- 
plain that  this  duty,  which  we  owe  to  men, 
2* 


XV111  PREFACE   TO   THE 

of  studying  their  conditions  in  all  the  rela- 
tions and  positions  of  life,  has  not  been  suffi- 
ciently held  up  and  regarded  as  a  religious 
obligation.  We  seek  religiously  all  that 
relates  to  God ;  we  should  seek  religiously  to 
learn  all  that  can  promote  the  highest  inte- 
rests of  men,  temporal  and  eternal.  Looking 
at  men  from  this  point,  social  and  political 
philosophy  assumes  at  once  a  more  important 
aspect.  In  studying  these  subjects  we  must 
carry  with  us  the  authority,  the  doctrines,  the 
very  words  of  Christ.  These  shed  at  once  a 
flood  of  light  on  themes,  long  darkened  by 
opposing  theories  and  clashing  practice.  When 
social  and  Christian  philosophy  assumes  the 
same  starting  point — the  best  interests  of  men 
—  and  when  this  object  is  kept  steadily  in 
view,  a  system  will  be  elaborated  which  must 
thoroughly  renovate  the  whole  fabric  of 
society.  And  this  benefit  may  be  confidently 
expected,  without  any  change  in  human 
nature,  except  that  which  is  to  be  effected 
by  its  being  subjected  to  Christian  influences, 
under  more  favorable  circumstances  than 
before. 

We  believe  that  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the 
progress  of  Christianity  is  the  want  of  this 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XIX 

application  of  its  principles,  as  they  are  spe- 
cially taught  by  Christ,  to  the  social  condition 
of  men.  Christianity  now  meets  in  its  pro- 
gress among  men  a  special  opposition  from 
institutions,  from  maxims  of  business,  from 
social  systems,  which  are  so  inimical  to  its 
true  spirit,  and  yet  so  firmly  established,  that 
its  forward  movement  is,  humanly  speaking, 
impossible,  and,  religiously  speaking,  only 
possible  with  God.  But  how  can  His  blessing 
be  fully  expected,  unless  Christians  carry  the 
principles  of  their  Master  into  these  institu- 
tions, this  business,  and  these  social  systems  ? 
They  mingle  in  all  these,  and  make  part  and 
parcel  of  them;  let  these  principles  of  their 
Divine  Master  make  also  a  part  and  parcel  of 
them.  Let  Christians  be  everywhere  distin- 
guishable by  their  loving  one  another,  by  their 
being  the  most  earnest  friends  of  their  fellow- 
men,  by  their  devotion  to  all  that  concerns 
the  highest  interests  of  men,  temporal  and 
eternal,  and  Christianity  will  make  a  progress 
among  the  masses,  unknown  since  the  days 
when  such  were  the  prominent  characteristics 
of  Christian  men. 

When  it  is  fully  realized   that  Christians 
are  stewards  of  Christ  for  whatever  is  com- 


XX  PREFACE    TO    THE 

mitted  to  them,  whether  it  be  talents  or 
wealth,  or  strength,  or  knowledge ;  when  it 
is  realized  that  these  endowments  are  given 
that  they  may  be  laid  out  for  the  benefit  of 
the  human  family,  it  will  come  home  more 
fully  to  the  consciences  of  these  servants  in 
the  household  of  Christ,  that  they  must  pre- 
pare themselves  for  the  proper  discharge  of 
these  obligations  to  their  fellow-men.  To  that 
end  they  must  not  only  study  their  interests 
for  eternity,  but  their  interests  for  time.  Of 
all  that  concerns  man,  nothing  can  be  indiffe- 
rent to  them.  They  cannot  see  them  suffer, 
from  any  cause,  without  affording,  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  case,  sympathy  or  relief: 
if  they  suffer  political  oppression,  they  will  at 
least  try  to  comprehend  its  nature  and  extent, 
and  to  put  forth  such  influences  and  know- 
ledge as  may  tend  to  relieve,  if  not  remove 
the  evil ;  and  so  with  every  form  of  evil  and 
suffering  to  which  men  are  exposed,  whether 
industrial,  commercial,  social,  or  religious. 
None  of  the  ills  of  human  life  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  religious  sympathy  and  succor :  many 
cannot  be  reached  but  by  public  efforts ;  men 
who  suffer  from  political  or  social  wrongs  can 
only  be  aided  frequently  by  the  development 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XXI 

and  diffusion  of  sound  political  principles  and 
a  sound  social  philosophy.  The  true  servant 
of  that  Master,  whose  efforts  for  human  weal 
never  flagged,  cannot  refuse  to  apply  himself 
to  that  special  inquiry,  or  to  that  special  study 
which  may  fit  him  to  help  those  who  can  be 
helped  in  no  other  way.  If  he  believes  that 
Christian  principles  are  sound,  he  must  see 
that  they  are  applicable  to  the  amelioration 
of  human  condition  in  every  possible  state  of 
man.  Knowing  that  Christianity  enjoins  sub- 
mission to  existing  powers  and  every  ordinance 
of  man,  the  student  of  Christian  social  philo- 
sophy will  not  look,  except  in  extreme  cases, 
to  revolution  and  bloodshed  for  any  relief,  but 
endeavor  to  show  that  the  best  interests  of 
both  rulers  and  people  lie  in  one  path,  that 
which  most  promotes  the  Christian  welfare 
and  social  happiness  of  man.  The  Christian 
reformer  will  not  use  weapons  of  war,  unless 
unavoidable;  but  he  should  be  prepared  to 
put  forth  his  Christian  principles  in  every 
emergency,  social,  civil,  industrial,  and  commer- 
cial. He  should  watch  the  movements  of  the 
world  in  all  these  respects  with  intense  anxiety, 
to  observe  how  the  best  interests  of  men  may 
be  affected  by  passing  events,  and  to  learn 


XX11  PREFACE   TO    THE 

how  they  may  be  promoted.  All  legislation, 
all  political  action,  all  social  movements, 
should  be  regarded  with  particular  attention, 
in  reference  to  their  bearing  upon  human 
advantage.  Such  considerations  as  these 
should  press  upon  the  intelligent  Christian 
with  a  weight  proportioned  to  the  importance 
of  the  interests  involved.*    If  a  Christian  man 

*  "Nearly  all  external  religious  services  are  means  of  grace, 
and,  however  needful  to  the  progress  of  religion,  however  in- 
dispensable in  the  work  of  winning  souls  to  Christ,  or  pro- 
moting our  own  growth  in  grace,  they  are  not  in  themselves 
religion — they  are  not  of  the  essence  of  Christianity.  These 
means  of  grace  are  resorted  to,  not  as  Christianity,  but  as 
helps  towards  it :  employed  they  should  be  for  what  they  are, 
and  not  for  what  they  are  not.  Building  churches,  praying 
in  public,  preaching  the  Gospel,  distributing  the  Scriptures, 
publishing  good  books,  sending  forth  Missionaries,  and  other 
like  means  of  grace,  are  designed  to  lead  men  to  Christ,  and 
to  instruct  them  in  Christianity.  They  are  not  in  themselves 
the  main  duty  of  Christian  life.  They  are  the  introduction 
to  it ;  they  are  the  preparation  for  it ;  they  are  the  guides  by 
the  way ;  they  are  means  of  conversion  ;  they  are  fountains 
of  refreshment ;  they  are  sources  of  encouragement ;  they  are 
means  of  religious  invigoration  ;  they  are  means  of  grace. 
God  blesses  them  as  such ;  and  Christians,  if  they  will  thrive, 
and  grow  in  grace,  and  be  fitted  for  the  main  object  of  the 
Christian  life,  the  maintaining  a  pious,  an  earnest  devotion 
to  God,  and  an  active  life  of  love  and  benefit  to  the  human 
family,  must  not  neglect  them.  It  is,  therefore,  an  essential 
and  indispensable  religious  duty,  to  do  to  and  for  our  fellow- 
men  all  that  is  dictated  by  the  command,  to  love  them  as 
ourselves ;   and  no  amount  of  indulgence  in  the  means  of 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XX111 

feels  impelled  to  stoop  by  the  wayside,  to  re- 
lieve him  who  has  fallen  among  thieves,  and 
has  been  left  there  wounded  and  suffering; 
if  he  feels  bound  to  give  alms  to  him  who  is 
in  want,  to  give  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  him 
who  is  athirst,  with  how  much  interest  must 
he  regard  that  legislation,  that  policy  of 
government,  that  social  philosophy  which  de- 
grace  can  atone  for  the  neglect  of  this  duty,  any  more  than 
any  amount  of  kindness  and  love  to  men  can  atone  for  a 
neglect  to  '  worship  God,  who  is  a  Spirit,  in  spirit  and  in 
truth.' 

"  The  love  of  God  and  the  love  of  our  fellow-men,  are  actual 
piety,  religion,  Christianity  itself;  the  usual  external  services 
of  religion,  being  only  means  to  that  great  end,  yield,  there- 
fore, in  importance,  to  it.  It  is  a  vital  part  of  Christianity  to 
love  men  as  ourselves  :  it  is  the  test  by  which  Christ  has  de- 
clared that  his  disciples  shall  be  known.  ■  By  this  shall  all 
men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another/  No  mere  means  of  grace,  no  external  forms  of  wor- 
ship, no  religious  services,  should  be  exalted  above  this  great 
religious  duty  of  loving  and  serving  our  fellow-men.  It  is  to 
this  the  Apostle  Paul  refers,  when  he  says,  'All  the  law  is 
fulfilled  in  one  word,  even  in  this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself.'  The  man  of  God,  who,  in  obedience  to  Christ, 
strives  to  fulfil  this  command,  is  discharging  the  highest  duties 
of  a  Christian  life.  Under  the  guidance  of  this  precept,  we 
owe  to  our  fellow-men  what  we  owe  to  ourselves.  Where  is 
the  development  of  this  great  branch  of  our  religious  duty  ? 
Where  are  we  specially  instructed,  and  in  detail,  as  to  the 
bearing  of  this  great  law  of  Christianity  upon  all  the  business 
and  relations  of  life  ?  To  build  a  church  for  Christ's  sake  is 
a  worthy  deed,  a  real  means  of  grace ;  but  to  love  our  fellow- 


XXIV  PREFACE   TO    THE 

termines  the  weal  or  woe  of  thousands  —  per- 
haps millions  of  his  fellow-creatures.  If  the 
Christian  must  not  neglect  the  poor  and  suf- 
fering, neither  must  he  neglect  any  opportunity 
nor  any  effort  to  save  men  from  poverty,  de- 
gradation, and  ignorance.  We  are  not  only 
to  help  the  poor,  we  are  to  "consider  the 
poor :"  we  are  not  only  to  think  of  our  own 
affairs,  but  we  are  to  look  also  upon  the  affairs 
of'  others  —  we  are  to  bear  not  only  our  own 
burdens,  but  also  the  burdens  of  others. 

men  as  ourselves  for  Christ's  sake,  is  an  act  of  real  religion 
itself,  not  the  means,  but,  as  far  as  it  goes,  the  very  thing 
itself.  To  consider  what  we  owe  to  and  can  do  for  all  our 
brethren  of  the  human  family,  is  an  actual  Christian  duty,  to 
be  religiously  performed,  from  which  Christians  cannot 
escape.  When,  for  Christ's  sake,  Christians  are  earnestly 
considering  what  they  can  do  for  the  temporal  and  eternal 
interests  of  men,  they  are  in  the  direct  line  of  religious  duty, 
and  so  when  they  are  carrying  into  effect  such  measures  as 
they  may,  in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures,  deem  most  benefi- 
cial to  men.  This  does  not  simply  include  mere  alms-giving. 
It  extends  to  all  men,  rich  and  poor.  There  are  corresponding 
duties  for  every  position  and  relation  of  life.  Those  in  rela- 
tion to  the  poor  are  chiefly  dwelt  upon,  because  they  are 
chiefly  dwelt  upon  in  Scripture,  and  because  the  manner  of 
life  of  the  early  Christians,  furnished  such  ample  illustrations 
of  what  they  deemed  their  duties  to  the  poor  to  be,  while 
their  minds  were  fresh  with  instruction  from  the  lips  and  pen 
of  inspiration. 

"  They  could  then  enforce  and  exemplify  the  truth  announced 
by  the  Apostle  James,  that,  'Pure  religion  and  undefined  be- 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  XXV 

Under  the  Dispensation  of  the  Gospel,  God 
requires  of  man  little  duty  that  is  outward 
merely,  except  that  which  consists  in  acts  of 
mercy  and  kindness  towards  men  :  in  no  way 
can  the  renewed  man  render  more  acceptable 
service  to  God,  than  by  kindness  and  love  to 
his  fellow-men ;  in  no  path  of  duty  can  he 
more  fully  glorify  his  Master,  than  in  the 
ministrations  of  love  and  mercy;  "for  love 
and  charity  is  plainly  the  thing  in  which  he 
has  placed  his  religion  ;  in  which,  therefore, 

fore  God  and  the  Father  is  this:  to  visit  the  fatherless  and 
widows  in  their  affliction,'  without  being  charged  with  denying 
or  depreciating  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith.  They 
could  feed  on  the  doctrine  and  go  out  strengthened  to  their 
Christian  task  <jf  love  and  kindness.  They  had  not  arrived 
at  the  modern  refinement  of  substituting  the  food  for  the  work, 
the  doctrine  for  the  deed.  The  Christians  of  that  day  were 
known  by  their  loving  one  another,  and  distinguished  beyond 
all  other  men  by  their  charity  and  deeds  of  mercy,  and  yet  they 
did  not  forsake  the  duty  of  assembling  for  prayer  and  praise 
at  stated  periods.  At  this  day,  Christians  are  not  distin- 
guished by  loving  one  another,  nor  very  specially  from  men 
of  the  world  by  deeds  of  charity  and  mercy,  but  mainly  by 
assembling  together,  and  by  the  almost  exclusive  attention 
which  they  give  to  that  duty  and  its  concomitants.  They 
have  exalted  this  duty,  of  assembling  for  religious  worship, 
above  the  groat  active  duties  which  arise  from  the  command, 
to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves;  yet  the  latter  are  enjoined 
upon  us  by  our  Saviour,  with  a  thousandfold  more  solemnity 
and  force  than  the  former." —  Editor. 

3 


XXVI  PREFACE    TO    THE 

as  wo  have  any  pretence  to  the  name  of  Chris- 
tians, we  must  place  ours.  He  hath  enjoined 
it  upon  us,  by  way  of  command,  with  peculiar 
force."* 

We  are  told  by  another  competent  authority, 
that  the  doctrine  of  the  loth  chap.,  1  Cor.,  is, 
"That  all  the  virtue  that  is  saving,  and  that 
distinguishes  true  Christians  from  others,  is 
summed  up  in  Christian  love.  Let  a  man 
have  what  he  will,  and  do  what  he  will,  it 
signifies  nothing  without  charity ;  which 
surely  implies  that  charity  is  the  great  thing, 
and  that  everything  which  has  not  charity  in 
some  way  contained  or  implied  in  it,  is  nothing, 
and  that  this  charity  is  the  life  and  soul  of  all 
religion."  "f 

"This,  this  is  Christianity;  not  a  slavish 
attendance  on  ceremonies ;  not  receiving  the 
sacraments ;  not  zeal  for  orthodoxy ;  not  a 
formal  church  government ;  not  belonging  to 
any  particular  church ;  not  receiving  the 
benefit  of  an  Episcopalian  or  Presbyterian 
ministry, — these,  according  as  they  are  scrip- 
tural,  are    important    as    auxiliaries,   not    as 

*  Bishop  Butler's  Sermons,  on  "  The  love  of  our  Neighbor:'* 
Carter's  edition,  p.  139. 

|  "  Charity  and  its  Fruits,"  pp.  4-5. 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XXV11 

principals ;  as  means,  but  not  ends ;  as  aids, 
not  substitutes."  ..."  Now  the  end  of  the 
commandment  is  charity,  out  of  a  pure  heart 
and  of  a  good  conscience,  and  of  faith  un- 
feigned."* (1  Tim.  i.  5.)  "Our  Lord  has 
resolved  all  piety  and  all  morality  into  Love." 
.  .  .  "  From  a  persuasion  that  this  view  of  it 
is  too  rarely  taken,  too  little  understood,  and 
too  imperfectly  felt,  I  was  induced  to  enter 
upon  the  exposition  of  Paul's  most  interesting 
description  of  Christian  charity.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  treat  this  chapter  without  being  con- 
vinced that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  has 
excellencies  and  beauties  in  its  nature,  which, 
in  consequence  of  the  depravity  of  our  hearts, 
have  been  yet  but  very  imperfectly  developed 
to  the  world.  Unfortunately  for  the  reputa- 
tion of  Christianity,  it  has  been  generally 
looked  at,  not  as  it  appears,  in  mild  but  un- 
clouded effulgence,  in  its  own  hemisphere,  the 
Bible,  but  as  it  is  feebly  and  dimly  reflected 
from  the  dull  surface  of  what  is  called  the 
Christian  world."  .  .  .  "Miracles  were  but 
the  credentials  of  Christianity,  but  Charity  is 
its  essence  ;  miracles  but  its  witnesses,  which, 
having  ushered  it  into  the  world  and  borne 

*  "  Christian  Duty,"  by  J.  Angel  James :  Carter's  ed.,  146. 


XXV111  PREFACE   TO    THE 

their  testimony,  retired  forever; — but  Gltariiy 
is  its  very  soul."  ..."  This  is  love,  blended 
with  all  our  living  habits,  diffused  through  all 
our  conduct,  forming  our  character,  breathing 
in  our  desires,  speaking  in  our  words,  beaming 
in  our  eyes;  in  short,  a  living  part  of  our 
living  selves.  And  this,  be  it  remembered,  is 
religion  — practical  religion"  .  .  .  "  Who  can 
read  these  passages  of  Holy  Writ,  and  not  feel 
convinced,  that  not  only  mankind  in  general, 
but  the  professors  of  spiritual  religion  also, 
have  too  much  mistaken  the  nature  of  true 
piety  ?  What  are  clear  and  orthodox  views — 
what  are  strong  feelings — what  is  our  faith — 
what  our  enjoyment — what  our  freedom  from 
gross  immorality — without  this  spirit  of  pure 
and  universal  benevolence."* 

We  might  multiply  passages  to  the  same 
effect,  if  space  permitted :  we  give  not  these 
isolated  remarks  that  they  may  have  a 
stronger  meaning  than  their  authors  intended, 
but  we  do  offer  them  as  evidence  that  their 
doctrine  on  the  subject  of  Charity  was  as 
strong  as  that  for  which  we  contend.  We 
merely  insist  on  a  fuller  development  of  this 
doctrine.     It  is  doing  great  injustice  to  the 

*  "  Christian  Charity  Explained,"  by  J.  Angel  James." 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XXIX 

truth  thus  announced,  to  state  what  is  of  such 
vital  importance  to  religion  —  to  the  progress 
of  piety  in  the  world  —  and  then  leave  it,  to 
develop  other  and  less  important  doctrines. 
Surely,  it  is  wrong  to  hold  that  up  for  Chris- 
tianity, which  does  not  contain  a  distinct 
statement  of  this  great  doctrine  of  Christian 
charity,  and  of  its  practical  bearings :  and, 
surely,  it  must  be  right  to  urge  the  practical 
duties  which  arise  and  flow  from  this  doctrine. 
We  maintain  they  are  such  as  we  have  indi- 
cated above  :  we  believe  that  system  of  reli- 
gion is  not  complete  which  does  not  contain 
this  feature ;  and  we  believe  that  piety  to  be 
imperfect,  which  is  not  accompanied  by  that 
Charity  for  men  which  is  its  true  index. 

Whilst,  therefore,  we  feel  fully  warranted 
by  Holy  Writ  and  safe  human  authority,  in 
insisting  upon  the  importance  of  Charity  — 
upon  the  religious  duties  of  mercy  and  kind- 
ness to  our  fellow-men  —  upon  the  religious 
duty  of  doing  to  others  as  we  would  have 
them  do  to  us — of  considering  the  whole  sub- 
ject of  human  welfare  as  coming,  necessarily, 
within  the  scope  of  our  religious  life  and 
duties,  we  mean  not  to  sink  or  slight  any 
other  religious  doctrine  or  obligation.  We 
3* 


XXX  PREFACE    TO    THE 

think,  with  John  Angel  James,  that  the  views 
we  urge  have  been  too  little  understood — too 
imperfectly  felt.  We  believe  that  our  develop- 
ment of  Christianity  has,  in  consequence,  been 
too  narrow,  and  that  we  must  retrieve  the 
error,  and  enlarge  our  platform,  by  enlarging 
our  views  of  what  is  needful  to  future  Chris- 
tian progress.  Some  of  the  evil  results  of  this 
narrowness  are  thus  strongly  stated  by  J. 
Angel  James : 

"'  Faith  working  by  Love/  This  is  the 
true  Apostolic  spirit,  and  the  true  Apostolic 
succession.  Strange  that  this  should  be  so 
much  forgotten :  that  men  should  have 
wrangled  about  the  form,  till  they  had  lost 
the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  and  have  trampled 
upon  love  in  their  contest  for  faith.  Alas ! 
alas !  who,  on  looking  at  the  present  aspect 
of  Christendom,  resembling  rather  a  battle- 
field than  a  peaceful  city ;  a  place  of  resort 
for  savage  animals,  that  bite  and  devour  one 
another,  rather  than  a  sheepfold,  where  the 
flock  reposes  in  quietness  and  without  envy 
under  one  shepherd  —  would  suppose  that 
these  were  the  professors  of  a  religion,  which, 
as  to  its  practical  nature  and  design,  is  all 
expressed  in  that  one  word, Love!  Who  that 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  XXXI 

is  witness  —  and  who  in  these  days  is  not  a 
witness — of  the  bitterness  and  the  wrath,  the 
malice,  envy,  and  jealousy  that  now  charac- 
terize so  large  a  portion  of  the  so-called  Chris- 
tian world,  could  imagine  that  these  fierce 
polemics,  these  angry  opponents,  these  intole- 
rant persecutors,  would  dare  to  call  themselves 
by  the  name  of  that  meek  and  lowly  Saviour, 
who  taught  men  they  could  not  be  his  dis- 
ciples, unless  they  loved  their  enemies,  and 
who  set  them  the  example  by  praying  and 
dying  for  his  own  1 "  * 

Such  pictures  are  not  pleasant  prospects  for 
the  self-complacent.  They  are,  however,  pro- 
fitable in  the  way  of  self-examination.  Many 
more  of  the  same  kind  might  be  adduced,  not 
less  highly  coloured.  That  they  are  true  to 
Nature  can  be  verified  by  all,  who  can  so  far 
divest  themselves  of  preconceptions,  as  to 
regard  what  is  passing  around  them  in  the 
"so-called  Christian  world,"  in  the  simple 
light  of  the  Holy  Gospels. 

We  must  not  part  with  this  subject  without 
naming  one,  whose  labors  in  this  cause  have 
not  been  exceeded  since  the  time  of  primitive 
Christianity  ;  whom,  to  name,  is  to  suggest  at 

*  "  Christian  Duty,"  J.  A,  James,  p.  148, 


XXX11  PREFACE   TO    THE 

once  "a  revision  of  the  whole  economy  of 
Christian  benevolence."  A  goodly  portion  of 
the  life  of  Dr.  Chalmers  was  devoted  to  the 
grand  object  of  restoring  to  the  world  the 
efficiency  of  the  principle  of  love.  His 
writings,  abounding  in  passages  of  striking 
power  and  eloquence,  having  this  design,  have 
made  an  impression  which  we  may  hope  will 
never  be  effaced  ;  but  the  doctrines  they  teach 
are  not  yet  familiar  to  the  ears  of  some,  much 
less  are  they  received  as  part  and  parcel  of 
our  Holy  Religion.  His  great  name  could  not 
save  him  from  the  reproach  of  bringing  for- 
ward such  novelties  as  that  new  lessons  were 
still  to  be  learned  from  the  Bible,  and  that 
works  of  charity  and  mercy  were  to  be  practised 
as  a  part  of  our  religion.  He  surmounted  all 
opposition  of  argument  and  influence  before 
his  death,  and  demonstrated  what  one  deter- 
mined man  can  accomplish  in  the  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  To  do  jus- 
tice to  Dr.  Chalmers  in  what  concerns  his 
labors  for  the  lower  classes,  and  in  his  appli- 
cation of  Christian  principles  to  their  relief, 
would  require  a  volume.  It  is  a  history 
familiar  to  readers  of  his  Memoirs ;  a  book 
which  those  who  fail  to  read  deny  themselves 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  XXXlll 

the  greatest  pleasure  and  profit  any  modern 
work  can  afford.  His  attention  was,  early  in 
his  ministry,  called  to  the  condition  of  the 
poor,  and  to  the  bearings  of  Political  Economy 
and  Christianity  on  that  condition.  "The 
dearest  object  of  my  earthly  existence,"  he 
says,  "  is  the  elevation  of  the  common  people 
— humanized  by  Christianity,  and  raised  by 
the  strength  of  their  moral  habits,  to  a 
higher  platform  of  human  nature,  and  by 
which  they  may  attain  and  enjoy  the  rank 
and  consideration  due  to  enlightened  and 
companionable  men."  One  of  the  most  intel- 
ligent appreciators  of  Chalmers's  life  and 
labors,  is  the  author  of  a  Review  of  his  Me- 
moirs, in  the  33d  No.  of  the  North  British 
Review,  said  to  be  Isaac  Taylor.  It  may  be 
of  advantage  to  refer  to  that  article,  in  con- 
sidering the  value  of  Dr.  Chalmers's  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  degraded  and  the  suffering. 
"  Pie  was  an  Economist,"  says  the  Reviewer, 
"  because  his  reason  told  him  that  Christian 
principles  must  be  the  beginning  and  the  end 
of  all  schemes  for  brightening  the  homes  of 
the  wretched  ;  and  because  his  sense  of  duty 
as  a  parish  minister  so  brought  him  into  daily 
contact  with  that   misery,  as  that  he  could 


XXXIV  PREFACE    TO    THE 

•never  cease  to  inquire  concerning  the  causes  of 
it,  proximate  and  remoter 

The  Reviewer  gives  Chalmers  the  credit 
which  is  undoubtedly  due  to  him,  of  contri- 
buting largely  by  his  preaching,  and  other 
ministerial  labors,  to  the  wonderful  progress 
of  Evangelical  religion,  which  took  place  in 
Scotland  during  the  period  of  his  life.  The 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  was  pre- 
viously in  a  state  of  "paralysis;"  and  the 
efforts  of  the  Reformers,  among  whom  Chal- 
mers was  chief,  was  not  "  to  innovate  or  even 
to  reform,  in  the  sense  of  abrogating  what 
was  extant,  or  of  instituting  things  new;  but 
in  a  word  the  ruling  desire  was  to  reanimate 
or  to  vivify  the  body." 

The  life  and  labors  of  Chalmers  show  what, 
in  his  opinion,  was  to  be  done,  to  lift  up  the 
Church  from  mere  forms,  to  life,  activity,  and 
Christian  vigor.  The  Reviewer,  in  reference 
to  this,  remarks  —  "A  master's  hand  was 
needed  in  Scotland  (one  might  say  a  giant's 
arm,)  to  rend  away  from  earnest  piety  its 
Pharisaism,  and  to  rid  Christian  morality  of 
its  Rabbiism.  There  was  needed  a  great  soul 
and  a  strong  mind,  competent  to  the  task  of 
putting  upon  things  Christian  a  Christian  in- 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XXXV 

terpretation,  instead  of  a  Jewish  gloss.  Chal- 
mers rendered  this  service  to  the  Church 
without  relaxing  any  great  principles,  and 
without  letting  in  the  latitudinarian  feeling." 
He  did  not  accomplish  this  needful  task, 
however,  without  exposing  himself  to  opposi- 
tion and  abuse,  which  made  him,  who  scarcely 
feared  any  obstacle,  shrink  from  the  odium 
theolofjicum  more  than  from  other  forms  of 
opposition.*  The  Reviewer  proceeds,  in  speak- 
ing of  Chalmers's  labors  as  a  Professor  of 
Theology :  "  He  sent  forth  a  body  of  men, 
who,  if  they  turn  not  aside  from  the  path  in 
which  he  set  them  forward,  may,  and  with 
God's  help  will,  bring  about  within  the  enclo- 
sure of  the  Establishment,  as  well  as  outside 
of  it,  the  Christian  regeneration  of  Scotland. 
To  do  this,  Chalmers  was  given  to  Scotland. 
Let  her  see  to  it,  then,  that  the  mission  of  a 
man  whom  she  delights  to  name  does  not  fail 
of  its  effect."  .  .  .  "As  to  that  revival  of 
Evangelic  doctrine,  in  bringing  about  which 
Chalmers  had  so  much  to  do,  it  did  not  cast 
away  the  Confession.  Far  from  it;  but,  as 
one  might  say,  it  uplifted  it  bodily  from  off 
the  national  mind   and  heart.      During  the 

*  "  See  Life  of  Chalmers,  vol.  2.,  pp.  490,  491. 


XXXVI  PREFACE   TO    THE 

powerful  heavings  of  this  modern  revival,  the 
"  Westminster  Confession/'  like  an  incrust- 
ment,  has  been  fairly  borne  aloft — still  an 
undoubted  object  of  homage  as  heretofore,  and 
yet  so  carried  up  from  its  bearings  as  to  give 
free  access  to  the  light  and  breath  of  heaven 
— vastly  for  tbe  comfort  and  health  of  the 
dwellers  in  the  house."  Whoever  studies  the 
Life  of  Chalmers  will  discover  that  his  zeal  for 
humanity  and  the  increase  of  his  piety  went 
hand  in  hand  :  they  will  see  that  his  great 
soul  sent  up  aspirations  to  God,  and  put  forth 
efforts  for  His  glory,  in  proportion  to  the  in- 
crease of  his  labors  for  human  welfare  :  they 
will  be  satisfied  that  the  two  great  divisions 
of  Christianity,  making  the  perfect  man  in 
Christ  Jesus,  occupied  his  mind  in  clue  pro- 
portion —  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  fired  his 
whole  soul :  the  love  of  his  fellow-men,  with 
efforts  to  do  them  good,  incessantly  occupied 
his  thoughts  and  his  time  :  he  became  more 
devoted  to  God  as  he  became  more  devoted  to 
man.  Hear  his  outburst  when  charged  with 
sectarian  aims :  "  Who  cares  about  the  Free 
Church,  compared  with  the  Christian  good  of 
the  people  of  Scotland  ?  Who  cares  about 
any  Church  but  as  an  instrument  of  doing 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  XXXV11 

good  ?  for,  be  assured,  that  the  moral  and  re- 
ligious well-being  of  this  population  is  of  infi- 
nitely higher  importance  than  the  advance- 
ment of  any  sect."*  The  Reviewer  remarks 
on  this  subject,  lamenting  the  obstacles  to  a 
rapid  spread  of  the  Gospel  interposed  by 
binding  too  tightly  the  ligatures  of  sectarian- 
ism :  "  When  Christian  men,  staggered  and 
dismayed  as  they  look  at  the  map  of  the 
world,  shall  come,  in  seriousness,  to  ask  them- 
selves how,  and  why  it  is  and  has  been  so, 
the  answer  will  be  like  a  peal  of  thunder 
shaking  their  souls:  it  is  so,  because  con- 
science, hitherto  in  league  with  an  over- 
whelming selfishness,  has  failed  to  urge  upon 
us  our  duty  to  our  fellows,  a  duty  which  sects 
never  do  understand,  and  can  never  dis- 
charge." -j*  This  is  very  strong  language  :  we 
trust  that,  to  whatever  extent  it  may  have 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  i\\,  p.  388. 

f  As  a  further  specimen  of  the  quality  of  the  Reviewer,  we 
subjoin  a  passage  on  a  topic,  not  very  remote  in  its  bearings 
from  that  which  occupies  our  attention  in  this  preface: 

"  That  enormity  of  our  modern  Christianity — that  damning 
sin  of  Protestantism  —  that  source  direct,  of  the  perdition  of 
the  lost  millions  anear  us — that  inestimable  prodigality  which 
squanders  the  Infinite  —  (we  will  not  allow  that  we  are  at  all 
indulging  in  exaggeration  when  we  speak  of)  that  ill  conse- 
quence of  our  boasted  liberties,  which  shows  itself  in  the 

4 


XXXV111  PREFACE    TO    THE 

been  verified  in  the  past  history  of  the  churches, 
it  may  be  disproved  in  time  to  come  ;  for  we 
can  see  no  likelihood  of  sects  coming  to  an 
end  where  religious  liberty  prevails.  The 
Reviewer  seems  to  admit  that  some  improve- 
ment is  in  progress,  when  he  says  of  Chalmers, 
"  That  he  gave  an  impulse  to  that  altogether 
modern  mood  of  Christian  benevolence,  which 
concerns  itself  with  the  well-being,  temporal 
and  spiritual,  of  the  industrial  classes,  and  of 
the  class  below  these.  This  recent  product  of 
Christianity,   (a  product  so  worthy  of  it,  so 

overlapping  of  so  many  costly  religious  organizations — each 
Church  out  of  five  or  seven  interlacing  its  operations  with 
every  other  —  each  placing  itself  athwart  the  path  of  every 
other,  and  each  spending,  iqnn  the  very  same  acres,  an  amount 
of  ministerial  body-and-soul  power  and  of  popular  contribu- 
tion, which,  if  it  were  wisely  economized  and  carefully  distri- 
buted, would  suffice  for  reclaiming  a  wilderness  ! 

"  It  is  this  same  reckless  spontaneousness —  it  is  this  spu- 
rious product  of  a  misunderstood  conscientiousness — it  is  this 
wilful  resolution  to  have  things  managed  precisely  in  our  own 
^ay  —  it  is  this  opinionative  egotism,  sprouting  itself  out  in 
wasteful  committeeism,  which,  more  than  the  obduracy  of  the 
heathen's  soul,  has  stayed  the  course  of  the  Missionary  work, 
filling  our  Annual  Reports  with  sickening  repetitions,  of  vast 
labors  and  vast  expenditures,  and  slender  results,  and  hopes 
always  in  the  distance !  So  it  is  abroad — so  it  is  at  home — so 
it  is  that  the  heathen  millions,  at  home  and  abroad,  must  wait 
until  'you,  and  you,  and  you,  and  V  can  be  content  to  see 
the  world  saved,  otherwise  than  just  to  our  taste!" 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  XXXIX 

congenial)  this  mighty  force  working  in  the 
bosoms  of  the  privileged  —  the  favored  —  the 
provided  for — and  which  forbids  them  to 
slumber  upon  their  comforts  while  thousands 
of  their  kindred  are  in  extremity  of  suffering 
—  this  modern,  business-souled  benevolence, 
destined,  as  it  jet  is,  to  effect  a  noiseless  reno- 
vation in  the  social  system,  was  in  a  transition 
state  at  the  moment  of  Chalmers's  coming 
before  the  world." 

Let  those  who  think  there  is  no  application 
for  these  remarks  of  the  Reviewer  in  the 
United  States,  and  even  in  our  own  Church, 
and  no  need  of  a  reform,  such  as  that  Chal- 
mers was  the  main  instrument  of  effecting  in 
Scotland,  pause  before  they  finally  decide. 
Let  them  look  well  to  it,  that  they  are  not 
indulging  in  the  same  apathy,  if  not  in  the 
same  opposition  which  was  employed  against 
Chalmers.  Let  them  examine  themselves, 
and  see  if  there  be  no  defect  in  their  vision, 
nor  in  their  judgment,  before  they  assume  the 
responsibility  of  deciding  definitively,  and  for 
a  whole  Church,  upon  subjects  of  such  vital 
moment  to  the  progress  of  Christianity.  For 
Chalmers  now  speaks  to  us,  he  preaches  to 

US,     HE     CALLS     UPON     US     TO     CONSIDER     WHAT 


Xl  PREFACE   TO    THE 

bearings  Christianity  has  uroN  our  social 
system  ;  to  examine  what  we  are  doing  for 
the  temporal  and  eternal  interests  of  the  de- 
graded and  the  poor.  Who  is  willing  here  to 
drown  this  voice  from  the  grave  of  Chalmers  ? 
Who  is  willing  to  say  that  we  do  not  need  his 
exhortations,  and  that  we  doubt  the  sound- 
ness of  his  Presbyterianism  ?  There  were 
men  of  good  sense  and  undoubted  piety  in 
Scotland  who  resisted  him,  face  to  face,  and 
denied  the  necessity  of  his  movements,  in 
applying  Christian  principles  to  social  reforms. 
The  wonderful  success  of  Chalmers's  mission, 
the  blessing  of  God  manifestly  resting  upon  it, 
should,  indeed,  make  the  most  self-sufficient 
pause  before  they  say,  either  that  we  do  not 
need,  or  that  we  will  heed  neither  the  teach- 
ings nor  the  example  of  the  great  Scottish 
divine  in  the  matter  of  social  amelioration.* 

In  setting  apart  Elders  in  St.  John's  Church, 
Glasgow,  in  the  year  1820,  Dr.  Chalmers  ex- 
pressed himself  as  follows  :  "  Never,  till  God 
put  it  into  the    hearts    of   men  to  go  forth 

*  "  Let  those  who  would  know  the  immense  value  of  a 
ministry  like  that  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  read  the  estimate  of  its 
results  in  Glasgow  (on  page  484,  vol.  2,  of  his  Memoirs,  Am. 
edition,) — a  ministry  divided  between  the  poor  and  the  rich, 
with  vastly  more  labor  to  the  former. 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  xll 

among  our  heathens  at  home,  with  the  same 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  which  are  expected  of 
missionaries  who  go  abroad,  will  there  be  any- 
thing like  a  revival  of  religion  among  our  city 
families."  ..."  There  is  something  in  the 
very  presence  of  one  human  being,  when  he 
comes  with  the  feelings  and  the  desires  of 
friendship,  which  serves  to  conciliate  and  to 
subdue  another  human  being.  Bear  an  honest 
regard  to  the  people,  and  the  people  will,  in 
spite  of  themselves,  bear  you  an  honest  regard 
back  again."* 

"  This,"  said  Dr.  Chalmers  to  a  friend  who 
accompanied  him  on  a  visit  to  the  parents  of 
one  of  his  schools,  "  is  what  I  call  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature  ;  that  cannot  be 
done  by  setting  j^ourself  up  in  a  pulpit  as  a 
centre  of  attraction,  but  by  going  forth  and 
making  aggressive  movements  upon  the  com- 
munity, and  by  preaching  from  house  to 
house."  f 

It  may  be  important  to  examine  further 
into  the  spirit  of  a  man,  who  contributed  so 
largely  to  the  revival  of  true  piety  in  Scotland. 
He  must  have  possessed  some  special  power  or 
h'tness  for  such  a  great  work :  mere  talents 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  2,  291.  f  Idem,  vol.  3,  106. 


xlii  PREFACE    TO    THE 

are  inadequate  to  such  a  task,  and  neither  in- 
dustry nor  genius  could  have  accomplished  it 
without  the  special  blessing  of  God.  It  is  now 
scarcely  denied  by  any,  that  the  favor  of  the 
Most  High  rested  upon  the  labors  of  Dr.  Chal- 
mers. And  no  wonder  :  for  what  ministerial 
servant  of  God  in  modern  times  entered  upon 
his  Master's  service  with  more  zeal  ?  what  one 
better,  or  who  as  well  fulfilled  his  double  duty 
to  God  and  to  man  ?  Who  more  devoted  to 
the  worship  of  God  —  who  more  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  man  ? 

In  the  same  address  to  his  Elders,  quoted 
before,  he  used  the  following  language.  He 
wished  them  to  partake  of  his  views  and  his 
spirit. 

"  I  would  never  give  up  any  human  being 
in  despair.  We  are  apt  to  confide  in  the 
efficacy  and  wisdom  of  our  own  arrangements 
— to  set  up  a  framework  of  skilful  contrivance, 
and  think  that  so  good  an  apparatus  will 
surely  be  productive  of  something — to  please 
ourselves  with  parochial  constitutions,  and  be 
quite  sanguine  that,  on  the  strength  of  elder- 
ships and  deaconships,  and  a  machinery  of 
schools  and  agents,  and  moralizing  processes, 
some  great  and  immediate  effect  is  to  follow. 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  xliii 

But  we  may  just  as  well  think  that  a  system 
of  aqueducts  will  irrigate  and  fertilize  the 
country  without  rain,  as  think  that  any  human 
economy  will  Christianize  a  parish  without 
the  living  water  of  the  Spirit  —  without  the 
dew  of  heaven  descending  upon  the  human 
administrators,  and  following  them  in  their 
various  movements  through  the  houses  under 
their  superintendence.  Still  it  is  right  to  have 
a  parochial  constitution,  just  as  it  is  right  to 
have  aqueducts.  But  the  supply  of  the  essen- 
tial influence  cometh  from  above.  God  will 
put  to  shame  the  proud  confidence  of  man  in 
the  efficacy  of  his  own  wisdom,  and  He  will 
have  all  the  glory  of  all  the  spiritual  good 
that  is  done  in  the  world ;  and  your  piety 
will,  therefore,  work  a  tenfold  mightier  effect 
than  your  talents,  in  the  cause  you  have 
undertaken."* 

After  the  Secession  had  been  completed, 
and  the  Free  Church  had  been  fairly  launched 
upon  her  new  element  of  voluntaryism,  after 
the  heat  of  the  contest  was  over,  which  had 
absorbed  for  many  years  much  of  the  time, 
and  talents,  and  feelings  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  he 
began  immediately  to  consider  what  old  duties 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  2,  p.  301. 


Xliv  PREFACE   TO    THE 

had  been  neglected  during  the  contest,  and 
what  new  duties  had  arisen,  claiming  imme- 
diate attention.  His  biographer,  in  referring 
to  this,  proceeds : 

"  In  this  enumeration  of  things  needing  to 
be  done,  Dr.  Chalmers  put  last  of  all  what  he 
had  so  long  considered  to  be  the  greatest  and 
most  urgent  of  all — the  evangelization  of  the 
neglected  masses.  For  more  than  thirty  years 
this  had  been  the  ruling  passion  of  his  life. 
That  life,  though  none  imagined  so  at  this 
period,  was  drawing  near  to  its  close ;  and,  as 
if  knowing  that  his  time  was  short,  this  ruling 
passion  rose  into  redoubled  strength,  and 
broke  forth  into  most  beautiful  manifestation. 
His  first  expectation  was  that  the  Free  Church, 
in  her  organized  capacity,  and  by  the  help  of 
her  Sustentation  Fund,  might  press  forward  her 
Christian  services  into  the  polluted  recesses 
of  city  life,  and  help  to  heal  the  spreading 
leprosy.  That  expectation  failing,  he  lifted  at 
the  close  of  his  "  Earnest  Appeal  to  the  Free 
Church"  this  imploring  entreaty  to  other 
evangelical  denominations  :  'We  would  earn- 
estly wish  the  concurrence,  the  practical  con- 
currence of  all  other  evangelical  communions 
in   this  great  work.     We   are   all   the   more 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  xlv 

desirous  of  this,  when  we  think  on  the  mighty, 
nay,  the  yearly  increasing  spaces  of  wild  and 
outlandish  territory  which  are  still  unoccu- 
pied. Are  there  not  myriads  of  immortal, 
yet  perishing,  because  neglected,  spirits,  in 
Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  and  other  large 
towns  of  Scotland,  as  well  as  in  hundreds  of 
outfields  throughout  the  country  at  large, 
which  would  require  the  united  efforts  of  all 
the  wise  and  good  in  our  land  for  many  years 
to  come  ?  Why  put  off  for  another  hour,  we 
do  not  say  the  fulfilment,  but,  at  all  events, 
the  commencement  of  this  glorious  enterprise 
—  for,  in  truth,  this,  though  forming  the 
greatest  moral  problem  of  our  day,  has  scarcely 
been  entered  on  ?  In  our  city  wastes,  in  our 
manufacturing  villages,  in  many,  very  many 
of  our  remote  and  rural  hamlets — in  all  these 
put  together,  are  there  thousands  of  families, 
who  live  in  guilt  and  die  in  darkness,  and 
have  never,  up  to  this  moment  been  the 
objects  of  aught  like  an  adequate  effort  for 
their  Christian  education!  .  .  .  'And  another 
mighty  benefit  might  be  expected  from  such  a 
co-operation  as  this.  A  common  object  of 
Christian  charity,  zealously  prosecuted  by  all, 
will  lead  to  a  more  general  community  of 


Xlvi  PREFACE   TO    THE 

thought  and  feeling  betwixt  them.  It  would 
speed  the  cause  of  Christian  union  at  an  in- 
finitely more  rapid  pace,  than  ever  will  be 
effected  by  Synods  and  Assemblies,  laboring 
in  conjoint  deliberation  to  new-model  their 
formularies  and  settle  their  articles  of  agree- 
ment. Let  us  be  one  in  well-doing ;  and  this, 
wherever  there  is  real  sincerity  and  right  good 
earnest,  will  prove  the  high-road  to  being  one 
in  sentiment.  A  oneness  in  conduct  will  often 
lead  to  an  essential  oneness  in  creed  —  for  the 
reflex  influence  of  the  former  upon  the  latter 
is  far  greater  than,  perhaps,  logicians  and  con- 
troversialists in  Theology  are  willing  to  allow. 
And  so  may  we  speed  onward  the  accomplish- 
ment of  our  blessed  Saviour's  prayer  —  even 
that  palpable  unity  among  Christians,  which 
he  has  announced  as  an  indispensable  step- 
ping-stone to  the  world's  regeneration.'"* 

It  would  be  pleasant  as  well  as  profitable 
to  continue  these  extracts ;  but  we  trust  all 
who  have  not  read  these  very  instructive  me- 
moirs, will  speedily  read  for  themselves,  not 
only  in  his  Life,  but  throughout  his  works. 

But  Dr.  Chalmers,  like  most  great  men, 
had  his  peculiarities ;  one  of  the  most  remark- 

m 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  4,  p.  384. 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  xlvii 

able  of  these  was,  that  his  mind  was  free  from 
the  yoke  of  that  bondage  which  is  imposed, 
in  that  country  and  in  this,  on  the  religious 
mind.  He  thought  as  he  pleased  and  spoke 
as  he  pleased ;  and,  although  he  was  visited 
with  unmeasured  abuse  by  little  minds,  who 
were  neither  free  nor  could  conceive  of  free- 
dom, yet  he  held  on  his  way  until  he  sur- 
mounted all  effective  opposition ;  though  he 
could  never  wholly  extinguish  the  snarls  of 
dosfs,  who  were  afraid  at  last  either  to  bark  or 
bite.  We  do  not  mean  to  discuss,  or  propose 
for  discussion,  the  soundness  of  any  of  Dr. 
Chalmers's  opinions.  We  refer  to  them  only 
to  say,  that  the  great  mental  vigor  for  which 
he  was  distinguished,  and  to  which  so  much 
of  his  usefulness  was  owing,  wras,  in  a  large 
measure,  due  to  that  very  freedom  of  mind 
which  begot  the  peculiarities  we  are  about  to 
notice.  People  may  differ  upon  the  subject, 
but  we  decidedly  prefer  the  vigorous,  bold, 
and  manly  action  of  a  free  mind,  to  the  timid, 
hesitating,  and  over-cautious  movements  of 
minds  in  bondage  to  other  men.  We  think 
that  there  can  be  no  vigorous  thinking  in 
the  Church,  until  men  are  encouraged  to 
think  for  themselves  —  to  call  no  man  master 


Xlviii  PREFACE    TO    THE 

but  Christ  —  to  acknowledge  no  authority  as 
paramount  but  the  Word  of  God. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  extracts, 
that  Chalmers  was  in  favor  of  uniting  with 
other  denominations  in  any  good  work,  re- 
quiring joint  effort.  "  I  must  say,"  he  ex- 
claims, in  his  address  to  the  General  Assembly, 
in  1843,  "that  I  consider  it  infinitely  more 
characteristic  of  the  religion  we  profess  —  the 
religion  of  peace  and  charity  —  that,  instead 
of  each  denomination  sitting  aloft  and  apart 
on  its  own  hill,  and  frowning  upon  each  other 
from  their  respective  orbits,  they  should 
hold  kindly  and  mutual  converse,  and  see 
each  other  eye  to  eye,  while  they  will  discern 
to  their  mutual  astonishment,  if  not  how 
thoroughly,  at  least  how  substantially  they 
are  at  one.  Now  is  the  time  to  rally  about  the 
common  standard  of  all  that  is  pure  and  vital 
in  Protestantism."  It  has  been  seen  that  he 
wras  quite  anxious  to  unite  the  various  deno- 
minations in  the  work  of  missions  to  the  poor, 
ignorant,  degraded  portion  of  the  people  of 
Scotland.  His  Catholic  spirit  is,  however, 
still  more  conspicuous  in  the  following  aspira- 
tions, appearing  in  different  portions  of  his 
Horce  Sabbatica?,  the  solemn  meditations  of  his 
Sabbath  hours : 


AMERICAN    EDITION.  xlix 

"  Let  me  not  be  the  slave  of  human  autho- 
rity, but  clear  my  way  through  all  creeds  and 
confessions  to  Thine  own  original  Revelation." 
.  .  .  "  Deliver  me,  oh,  God  !  from  the  narrow- 
ing influences  of  human  lessons,  and,  more 
especially,  of  human  systems  of  Theology. 
Teach  me  directly,  out  of  the  fullness  and 
freeness  of  Thine  own  word,  and  hasten  the 
time  when,  unfettered  by  sectarian  intolerance 
and  unawed  by  the  authority  of  man,  the 
Bible  shall  make  its  rightful  impression  on 
all,  because  the  simple  and  obedient  readers 
thereof,  they  call  no  man  master  but  Christ 
only."  .  .  .  "  Oh  !  that  we  were  fully  unfet- 
tered from  all  which  has  the  effect  of  distorting 
and  deranging  the  Christianity  of  the  Bible  in 
the  artificial  systems  of  human  orthodoxy."* 

There  are  many  good  men  in  the  United 
States,  whom  we  should  be  sorry  to  hear 
saying  they  did  not  need  to  utter  such  prayers. 
We  fear  there  are  some  who  will  even  think 
such  prayers  to  be  wicked ;  a  less  offence  has 
incurred  the  charge  of  infidelity.  His  bio- 
grapher merely  remarks  upon  the  passages 
just  cited,  "  The    many  prayers  which    Dr. 

*  Horse  Sabbaticae,  vol.   1,  pp.   CO,   350,   373.      Memoirs, 
vol.  4,  421. 


1  PREFACE   TO   THE 

Chalmers  offered,  that  he  might  be  preserved 
from  the  fetters  of  an  artificial  orthodoxy, 
may  be  taken  as  an  evidence  that  even  in  his 
instance,  it  teas  not  without  an  effort  that  sim- 
plicity sat  embosomed  in  system,  while  system 
did  nothing  to  hurt  simplicity."  *  If  Chalmers, 
with  all  his  breadth,  and  vigor,  and  freedom 
of  mind,  had  thus  to  pray  for  deliverance 
from  the  narrowing  influences  of  human  les- 
sons— from  the  distorting  and  deranging  effects 
of  artificial  systems  —  what  must  be  the  con- 
dition of  those  who  deliver  themselves  over, 
mentally  and  spiritually,  and  without  reserva- 
tion, to  these  systems  ?  We  shall  not  decide, 
but  we  wish  all  concerned  would  look  into  it. 
The  remark  of  the  Eev.  Wm.  Hanna,  the  son- 
in-law  and  biographer  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  very 
clearly  betrays  his  sympathy  in  these  prayers 
for  deliverance  from  the  narrowness  of  human 
systems. 

We  find,  in  another  place  a  still  stronger 
expression  of  his  feelings  about  formulas. 
"  Busied  with  his  pamphlet  on  the  Evangelical 
Alliance,  in  which  he  was  dealing  with  the 
proper  plan  and  use  of  Confessions  of  Faith, 
'  I  look,'  said  he  to  one  of  his  daughters,  "  on 
Catechisms  and  Confessions  of  Faith  as  mere 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  4.  421. 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  li 

landmarks  against  heresy.  If  there  had  been 
no  heresy  they  would  never  have  been  wanted. 
It  is  putting  them  out  of  their  place  to  look 
on  them  as  magazines  of  truth.  There  *s  some 
of  your  stour  orthodox  folk,  just  over-ready 
to  stretch  the  Bible  to  square  with  their  Cate- 
chism :  all  very  well  —  all  very  needful  as  a 
landmark ;  but  (kindling  up)  what  I  say  is, 
do  not  let  that  wretched,  mutilated  thing,  be 
thrown  between  me  and  the  Bible."* 

It  is  not,  of  course,  our  province  to  deter- 
mine the  degree  of  heresy  which  attaches  to 
Chalmers  for  the  utterance  of  such  a  senti- 
ment. Our  design  is,  merely  to  remark  that 
the  same  man  who  could  commit  such  an 
offence  against  the  Church,  was,  nevertheless, 
one  of  its  most  efficient  ministers,  and  one  to 
whom,  under  God,  the  Free  Church  and  people 
of  Scotland  owe  more  than  to  any  other  indi- 
vidual. And,  whatever  may  be  thought  of 
the  free  expression  of  his  thoughts,  we  hazard 
the  opinion,  that  if  he  had  not  been  the  man 
thus  frankly  and  boldly  to  speak  his  mind,  he 
would  not  have  been  the  man  to  accomplish 
the  good  he  did,  for  his  country  and  its  people. 
We  do  not  say  what  agency,  if  any,  these  free 
opinions  had  in  the  success  of  his  ministry, 

*  Memoirs,  vol.  4,  p.  448. 


lii  PREFACE   TO    THE 

but  we  say  that  the  energy  and  boldness 
which  enabled  him  to  conceive  and  utter 
them,  were  the  great  secrets  of  his  success. 
If,  by  any  force  of  public  opinion,  or  any  pro- 
cess of  church  discipline,  Chalmers  could  have 
been  frightened  or  deterred  from  this  free 
expression  of  his  thoughts,  he  would  have 
been  shorn  of  his  locks,  his  power  and  strength 
would  have  left  him,  and  he  would  have  been 
like  other  men.  If  men  are  expected  to  act 
with  extraordinary  intellectual  or  spiritual 
vigor,  they  must  be  free  to  act  and  free  to 
speak.  How  far  this  may  be  the  case  here, 
let  clergymen  and  laymen  answer  for  them- 
selves. For  our  part,  we  believe  that  there  are 
thousands  of  both  sighing  for  the  liberty  which 
Chalmers  boldly  exercised,  in  defiance  of  all 
the  forces  of  repression ;  not  that  they  wish 
to  say  the  same  things,  or  worse  than  Chal- 
mers said,  but  that  they  may  say  what  they 
think,  and  what  they  believe  their  Bible 
teaches.  They  sigh  to  be  free  in  Christ  Jesus : 
and,  so  long  as  they  feel  that  they  are  not 
free,  so  long  their  mental  and  spiritual  ener- 
gies will  be  cramped,  so  long  the  fervor  of 
their  piety  cannot  burst  forth  in  its  full  light 
and  power.  We  need  a  giant  hand  among 
our  divines,  like  that  of  Chalmers,  to  lift  up 


AMERICAN   EDITION.  liii 

the  formulas  of  the  Church,  "so  as,"  according 
to  the  language  quoted  before  from  the  North 
British  Review,  "  to  give  free  access  to  the 
light  and  breath   of  heaven,  for  the  comfort 
and  the  health  of  the  dwellers  in  the  house." 
Does  any  one  say  that  Dr.  Chalmers  de- 
serted the  standards  of  his  Church?  we  reply 
that   he    did   not.     Pie  merely  put  them  in 
their   true    position.     He  condemned   undue 
reliance  upon  standards ;  he  objected  to  them 
as    "magazines  of  truth,"  not    as    historical 
landmarks;    he  objected  to  them  as  exposi- 
tions, but  not  as  summaries  :  they  were  useful 
in  the  way  of  reference,  but  not  in  the  way 
of   authority;    he  regarded  them   as  human 
productions;    he  called  no  man  master  but 
Christ;  he  could  not,  therefore,  endure  to  have 
the  Confession  or  the  Catechism   thrust  be- 
tween him  and  the  Bible.     He  regarded  the 
latter  as  the  great  chart  of  our  religious  belief; 
and,  whilst  he  looked  upon  the  "landmarks" 
with  all  the  respect  due  to  human    produc- 
tions, he  never  yielded  the  point,  that,  with 
the  chart  in  his  hand,  he  could  determine  the 
boundaries  of  our  faith  with  as  much  accu- 
racy  as   the    author   of  a   Confession.      He 
doubtless   believed   that   every   man   should 
5* 


Hv  PREFACE   TO    THE    AMERICAN   EDITION. 

survey  the  field  himself,  examine  the  land- 
marks, verify  their  position,  and  satisfy  him- 
self that  all  was  right ;  he  doubtless  believed 
that  every  man  erred  who  built  his  faith  upon 
the  authority  of  a  Creed  or  Catechism,  with- 
out such  verification.  He  regarded  such  forms 
rather  as  things  to  be  used,  than  things  by 
which  men  are  to  be  used.  He  looked  upon 
them  as  immeasurably  inferior  in  importance 
to  the  Bible  itself,  and,  therefore,  had  little 
sympathy  with  those  wTho  were  more  offended 
at  what  they  conceived  to  be  an  attack  upon 
the  Confession  than  an  attack  upon  the  Bible. 
This  describes  very  much  our  own  view  of  the 
standards.  We  can  receive  the  doctrines 
they  affirm;  we  can  appreciate  their  import- 
ance as  compendiums;  we  can  feel  their  his- 
torical value ;  but  we  cannot  recognize  them 
as  adequate  expositions  of  Christianity  —  else 
they  would  be  of  equal  authority  with  the 
Bible.  We  believe  pious  men  may  differ 
widely  as  to  their  use  and  importance,  without 
departing  a  hair's  breadth  from  the  path  of 
orthodoxy. 

Stephen  Colwell. 

Philadelphia,  May  1,  1853. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION. 


At  various  periods,  of  late  years,  startling  disclosures 
have  been  made  regarding  the  management  of  mercantile 
affairs.  In  particular,  during  the  summer  of  1850,  a  pain- 
ful sense  of  uncertainty  hung  upon  the  community.  Men's 
hearts  failed.  The  foundations  of  society  seemed  to  be 
shaking.  Not  only  were  injurious  practices  rife,  but  princi- 
ples were  mooted  in  defence  of  them  that  seemed  to  throw 
loose  again  the  question,  What  is  righteousness  ?  Ideas, 
muffled  and  disguised,  stealthily  flitted  through  the  market- 
place, whispering  in  men's  ears  that  the  precepts  of  the 
Bible  could  not  be  strictly  applied  to  the  great  transactions 
of  modern  merchandise.  Exercising  the  ministry  in  the 
midst  of  the  greatest  mercantile  community  of  Scotland,  the 
writer  felt,  that  if  he  would  be  jealous  for  the  law  of  God, 
he  ought,  with  special  reference  to  the  times,  to  proclaim 
that  it  is  exceeding  broad,  covering  all  the  transactions  of 
men.  With  mingled  hope  and  fear,  he  proceeded  to  fulfil 
a  duty,  from  which,  when  it  was  once  suggested  to  his  mind, 
he  could  not  with  a  good  conscience  escape.  Six  discourses, 
such  as  seemed  suitable  to  the  occasion,  were  prepared  and 
addressed  to  the  congregation  during  the  autumn,  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  ministerial  duty.  The  same  reasons 
which  at  first  led  to  the  preparation,  were,  when  pressed 
by  others,  felt  to  be  equally  valid  for  the  publication  of  the 
discourses.     Hence  this  little  volume. 


lvi  PREFACE   TO    TIIE    FIRST    EDITION. 

The  subjects  are  in  some  measure  different  from  those 
which  generally  are,  and  should  be,  the  chief  theme  of  a 
minister's  sermon  on  the  Sabbath.  It  is  because  of  this 
peculiarity  that  they  are  submitted  to  the  public.  The 
writer  alludes  to  this  characteristic  for  the  purpose  of  expla- 
nation, not  that  he  thinks  it  needs  an  apology.  He  counts 
it  a  useful  and  an  honorable  work  to  preach  righteousness 
according  to  God's  Word,  and  applied  to  all  the  transactions 
of  men.  He  thinks  that  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  in  these 
days,  while  they  glory  only  in  the  Cross,  are  not  only  per- 
mitted but  required  to  let  their  ministrations  occasionally 
range  over  a  wider  sphere.  While  they  preach  Christ,  they 
should  not  allow  the  adversary  to  revel  unchecked  in  any 
field  to  which  their  weapons  can  reach.  Provided  always 
that  they  plant  their  compass  in  the  centre,  they  may  at 
times  with  great  profit  lengthen  the  radius,  and  sweep 
round  a  wider  circumference. 

The  original  form  of  the  discourses  has  not  been  changed. 
The  material  might  easily  have  been  metamorphosed  into  a 
treatise,  with  the  view  of  avoiding  the  proverbial  unpopu- 
larity of  printed  sermons,  but  the  writer  does  not  feel  dis- 
posed to  be  so  accommodating.  He  believes  that  form  is 
in  itself  well  fitted  to  explain  and  impress  truth.  If  he 
did  not  think  it  an  efficient  instrument,  he  would  not  lay 
out  on  it,  as  he  does,  the  chief  labor  of  his  life.  If  the 
matter  is  good,  it  is  none  the  worse  for  being  found  in  a 
sermon ;  if  the  matter  is  trifling  or  erroneous,  chapters  and 
sections  could  not  remove  its  defects,  and  ought  not  to  con- 
ceal them. 

Glasgow,  May,  1851. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE    I. 
INTRODUCTORY 


PAGE 


OX  THE  RELATIONS  THAT  SUBSIST  AMONGST  THE  DIFFERENT 
CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY  IN  GENERAL,  AND  IN  PARTICULAR 
THE    INTERCOURSE  BETWEEN  EMPLOYERS  AND  OPERATIVES      25 

LECTURE    II. 

COVETOUSNESS  —  ITS   COMPANY    AND    ITS   CHARACTER    ....      55 

LECTURE    III. 

MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE  THAN  MONEY'S  WORTH 74 

LECTURE    IV. 

FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS  —  DISHONESTY 96 

LECTURE   V. 

FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS OPPRESSION 122 

LECTURE    VI. 

MONEY    BEQUEATHED    BY    PARENTS    TO    TnEIR    CHILDREN    .    .    149 

APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING  AN  OUTLINE  OF  A  WORK  ON  CHARITY,  FOR  WHICH 
A  PREMIUM  OF  ONE  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  IS  OFFERED,  AND 
REMARKS  ON  THE  SERIES  OF  PUBLICATIONS,  OF  WHICH  THIS 
IS    THE  BEGINNING 173 

(Mi) 


THE   EACE   FOR  RICHES. 


LECTURE  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

ON  THE  RELATIONS  THAT  SUBSIST  AMONGST  THE 
DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY  IN  GENERAL,  AND 
IN  PARTICULAR  THE  INTERCOURSE  BETWEEN  EM- 
PLOYERS  AND    OPERATIVES. 

"And,  behold,  Boaz  came  from  Bethlehem,  and  said  unto 
the  reapers,  The  Lord  be  with  you.  And  they  answered 
him,  The  Lord  bless  thee."  — Ruth  ii.  4. 

How  lovely  is  the  picture  of  this  Hebrew  harvest- 
field  !  There  is  a  tinge  of  inexpressible  sweetness 
beaming  forth  from  that  ancient  landscape.  It 
was  a  goodly  sight.  One  would  like  to  have  been 
there  when  a  portly  magnate  of  Israel  stalked  into 
his  own  corn-field,  and  gravely  saluted  the  labor- 
ers in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  when  the  laborers 
along  the  extended  row  simultaneously  lifted  up 

(25) 


26  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

their  bended  backs,  looked  round  erect  upon  their 
master,  and,  each  with  the  sweat  upon  his  brow 
and  the  sickle  in  his  hand,  gladly  echoed  back  his 
salutation  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  —  an  inter- 
course this  between  rich  and  poor,  between  master 
and  servant,  which  we  love  to  think  of  in  those 
patriarchal  times,  —  which  we  weep  the  want  of 
in  our  own. 

Two  things  are  conspicuous  in  the  intercourse 
between  Boaz  and  his  reapers,  which  seem  to  have 
in  a  great  measure  disappeared  from  the  meetings 
of  employers  and  employed  in  modern  society  ;  — 
these  are  kindliness  and  godliness.  In  the  fact 
of  the  salutation,  and  the  form  of  it,  we  observe 
on  both  sides  a  genial  glow  of  kindliness;  in  the 
subject-matter  of  the  salutation,  we  observe  on  both 
sides  a  simple,  unaffected  godliness. 

Instead  of  idle  wishes  for  the  return  of  that 
patriarchal  simplicity,  which,  in  the  purposes  of 
God  and  the  progress  of  mankind,  has  for  ever 
gone  by,  let  us  address  ourselves,  with  pains  and 
prayer,  to  the  inquiry  how  the  same  spirit  may 
be  made  to  sweeten  the  breath  of  a  differently- 
constituted  society.  This  spirit,  God-fearing  and 
man-loving,  dwelling  richly  in  the  hearts,  and 
bursting  spontaneously  from  the  lips  of  rich  and 
poor  when   they  meet  together, — this   is  what 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  27 

humanity  needs,  this  is  the  salve  for  its  sore.  We 
mourn  the  want  of  it,  —  we  long  for  the  return 
of  it.  It  seems  to  have  fled  from  the  earth.  And 
yet  there  is  hope  concerning  this  thing,  —  a  hope 
in  God.  From  him,  the  Father  of  lights,  cometh 
down  every  good  gift.  All  the  really  good  things 
that  ever  blessed  the  earth  are  treasured  up  in 
Christ,  and  conveyed  by  the  gospel.  If  we  seek 
there,  we  shall  find.  But  we  must  beware  of 
seeking  the  living  among  the  dead :  men  do  not 
gather  grapes  off  thorns  ;  neither  will  they  obtain 
millennial  peace  on  earth,  as  the  result  of  human 
philosophy  and  political  combinations. 

It  has  often  been  remarked,  that  the  Bible,  in 
its  histories,  doctrines,  and  precepts,  is  suited  to 
all  nations  and  all  times.  Though  written  Irv  Jews, 
it  is  written  for  the  world ;  though  addressed 
chiefly  to  Israel,  it  is  framed  to  suit  mankind. 
Mountains,  rivers,  seas,  do  not  impede  its  progress. 
It  has  burst  through  the  barriers  of  race  and  of 
language.  It  has  found  its  way  over  obstacles 
that  throw  back  the  tide  of  war.  Indeed,  these 
two  great  works  of  God,  man  and  the  Bible,  are 
in  some  of  their  aspects  very  like  each  other. 
Neither  is  limited  to  countries  and  climes ;  both 
are  intended  and  fitted  to  replenish  the  earth. 
Man  makes  his  home  alike  among  polar  snows 


28  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

and  under  tropical  heats.  In  all  his  wanderings,  the 
Bible  seems  to  address  him  in  the  words  of  Ruth, 
"  Whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go  ;  and  where  thou 
lodgest,  I  will  lodge."  It  is  constructed  capable 
of  being  man's  companion  in  every  journey,  and 
shedding  a  heavenly  light  around  every  human 
home.  As  with  the  breadths  of  space,  so  is  it 
with  the  lengths  of  time.  The  Word  of  God  not 
only  follows  the  footsteps  of  the  emigrant  over 
earth,  it  also  flows  down  the  stream  of  successive 
generations.  It  is  as  suitable  now,  in  the  end  of 
the  world,  as  it  was  when  it  began  to  be  uttered 
by  the  shepherds  of  Israel  or  the  fishermen  of 
Galilee.  Without  doubt  there  is  a  progressive 
development  of  the  human  mind,  but  the  race 
has  not  yet  shot  ahead  of  these  ancient  records. 
The  Scriptures  written  of  old  are  still  as  fresh  as 
a  thing  of  yesterday.  Many  new  discoveries  have 
been  made;  but  the  Bible  stands  unshaken  in 
their  midst.  The  advancing  science  of  modern 
times  has  done  much  to  reveal,  but  nothing  to 
weaken,  the  rock  of  its  foundation.  God's  will 
revealed  is  as  suitable  to  the  highly-civilized  con- 
dition of  modern  Europe,  as  it  was  to  the  simple 
state  of  Palestine  in  the  days  of  Boaz  or  the 
Baptist.  To  a  monarchy  in  one  age,  and  a 
republic  in  another,  it  gives  forth  its  saving  les- 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES    OF   SOCIETY.  29 

sons,  without  partiality  and  without  embarrass- 
ment. Alike  to  the  untutored  shepherd  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem  and  the  most  learned  astro- 
nomer of  our  day,  it  gives  forth  its  commands  and 
its  promises.  To  him  who  counts  the  earth  the 
centre  of  the  universe,  and  sees  in  the  heavenly 
bodies  nothing  more  than  lights  for  this  lower 
world;  and  to  him  who  measures  the  distance 
and  the  motions  of  other  orbs,  and  knows  that 
the  globe  we  tread  on  is,  in  the  Creator's  hands, 
a  very  little  thing, — to  both  alike,  and  with  equal 
appropriateness,,  the  Bible  proclaims  a  wisdom 
that  is  from  above,  a  way  of  salvation  that  cannot 
be  discovered  by  the  researches  of  men.* 


[*The  Bible  is  indeed  a  fount  of  perennial  wisdom  and 
knowledge.  It  is  not  only  demonstrated  to  be  so  by  the 
history  of  God's  Providence  in  the  past,  but  it  is  receiving 
additional  proof  in  modern  development  of  human  progress. 
We  find  that  as  civilization  proceeds  —  as  society  is  continually 
undergoing  great  changes  —  as  new  phases  in  human  affairs 
are  occurring  vitally  affecting  the  welfare  and  hopes  of  men  — 
as  science  is  enlarged,  knowledge  increased,  and  philosophy 
becomes  more  profound,  the  Bible  enlarges  its  claims  upon 
our  reverence  and  our  obedience,  and  exhibits  a  length  and 
breadth  of  wisdom  adequate  to  guide  men  in  the  highest 
places  to  which  human  attainments  can  raise  them.  They 
find  that  as  their  intellectual  and  emotional  powers  become 
enlarged,  the  Bible  affords  an  ample  field  for  their  utmost 
exertions;  —  and  not  only  opens  such  a  field,  but  demands 
that  it  should  be  occupied.  —  C] 


30  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

The  patriarchal  institutes  that  prevailed  in  the 
time  of  Boaz  were  very  different  from  the  political 
constitutions  of  modern  Europe.  The  subjection 
of  the  servant  to  his  master  which  prevailed  in 
those  days,  was  very  different  from  the  freedom 
and  equal  rights  of  all  classes  in  our  own  land. 
But  it  is  not  in  the  servitude  of  those  days  and 
the  liberty  of  ours  that  the  good  or  the  evil  chiefly 
lies.  If  any  one  shall  condemn  the  patriarchal 
despotism,  and  point  to  modern  political  freedom 
as  the  cure  of  human  ills,  I  bid  him  take  a  glance 
at  that  primitive  harvest-field,  and  behold  huma- 
nity in  one  of  its  most  winning  aspects,  —  the 
rich  and  the  poor  meeting  together  in  perfect 
love.  I  could  point  out,  on  the  other  hand,  many 
a  scene  of  mutual  distrust  and  hate,  where  com- 
plete political  equality  is  demanded  on  the  one 
side,  and  conceded  on  the  other.  If,  on  the  con- 
trary, any  one  shall  condemn  all  free  institutions  as 
unsuitable  for  fallen  men,  and  sigh  for  patriarchal 
autocracy  as  the  only  form  of  government  adapted 
to  the  race,  I  can  show  him  free  institutions  really 
bearing  their  expected  good  fruit ;  and  I  can  point 
also  to  quarters  of  the  world  where  the  primitive 
authority  remains  with  the  chief,  and  yet  the  roll 
of  the  people's  history  is  written,  "  Lamentation, 
mourning,  and  woe." 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  31 

Human  happiness  and  misery  do  not  turn  on 
the  form  which  the  organization  of  society  may 
assume.  With  the  most  perfect  political  freedom, 
there  may  be  every  thing  that  galls  the  spirit  and 
makes  existence  miserable.  "With  a  very  defective 
measure  of  emancipation  constitutionally  guaran- 
teed, there  may  be,  in  its  best  sense,  the  enjoyment 
of  life.  It  is  a  baptism  by  the  Spirit  that  will 
sweeten  and  hallow  the  relations  of  life,  whatever 
the  external  form  may  be  into  which  they  have 
been  cast. 

The  present  condition  of  modern  society,  as  to 
civil  and  political  organization,  is,  beyond  doubt, 
an  improvement  on  all  that  has  gone  before  it. 
The  human  race  is,  in  an  important  sense,  ad- 
vancing. Whereunto  we  have  already  attained 
in  the  enfranchisement  of  mind  and  body,  let  us 
hold  it  fast  as  a  boon,  and  endeavor  to  transmit 
it  not  less,  but  larger,  to  the  generation  following. 
On  the  whole,  under  the  governing  and  superin- 
tending care  of  Providence,  mankind  are  making 
progress.  Human  institutions,  like  human  know- 
ledge, are  evolving  themselves  into  fitter  forms. 
The  childhood  and  the  youth  of  the  race  are  gone, 
at  least  in  the  more  civilized  portions  of  the  earth. 
The  acts  and  institutes  of  the  nations  are  gradually 
laying  aside  the  shape  and  lineaments  of  child- 
6* 


32  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 


hood,  and  assuming  the  aspect  that  suits  the  man- 
hood of  our  beinor.  The  regret  and  lonsdnsr  that 
seize  on  some  minds  for  the  return  of  ancient 
organism  to  the  body  politic,  are  blind  and  vain. 
We  cannot  bring  back  the  old  forms,  even  though 
we  would ;  we  should  not,  even  though  we  could. 
Forward  we  must  go,  and  forward  we  ought  to 
go.  The  tide  of  social,  material,  and  intellectual 
development  will,  under  a  favoring  Providence, 
continue  to  advance,  although,  from  special  causes, 
and  in  particular  places,  there  will  be  from  time 
to  time  an  ominous  far-receding  wave.  The  pro- 
gress, in  some  of  its  aspects,  has  been  accelerated 
in  a  prodigious  ratio  of  late  years.  The  impetus 
that  it  has  now  acquired,  seems  fitted  to  produce 
in  the  years  coming  still  more  stupendous  re- 
sults.* 

In  view  of  the  condition  and  tendencies  of 
society,  what  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian  patriot  ? 

[  *  Our  author  clearly  perceives  that  progress  is  the  order 
of  the  day.  It  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  unite  in  this  social 
progress.  "  Forward  we  must  go,  and  forward  we  ought  to 
go," — but  he  would  have  this  progress  a  Christian  move- 
ment. He  would  derive  its  principles  and  guidance  from  the 
Word  of  God.  He  understands  that  the  resources  of  Revela- 
tion are  not  exhausted,  and  however  much  those  who  have 
preceded  us  have  drawn  from  that  treasury,  there  remains  in 
it  wisdom,  infinite  wisdom,  upon  which  men  may  draw  for 
their  social  progress  for  ages  to  come.  —  C] 


DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY.       33 

He  is  not  to  whine  idly  for  the  return  of  the  good 
old  days,  when  society  consisted  only  of  two 
classes,  kind  masters  and  happy  serfs ;  neither  is 
he  madly  to  plant  himself  in  the  breach,  with  the 
view  of  stemming  and  turning  the  advancing  tide. 
Let  believing  men,  whatever  may  be  their  views 
of  the  optimism  in  political  organization,  fix  it  as 
an  axiom  in  then  minds,  that,  for  the  highest  good 
of  the  species,  much  more  depends  on  the  spirit  which 
animates  persons  than  on  the  forms  which  institutes 
may  assume.  Let  all  who  hope  in  God  and  love 
their  brethren  act  on  this  principle,  and  act  to- 
gether on  it.  Their  time  and  strength  will  not 
be  wasted  in  useless  lamentations,  or  more  useless 
attempts  to  arrest  the  very  tide  of  time.  They 
will  find  in  this  age  and  in  this  land  a  crying 
necessity  for  the  help  of  all  the  good ;  but  they 
will  find,  too,  a  hopeful  field  for  the  employment 
of  all  their  energies.  I  don't  want  to  return  to 
the  old  institutes,  for  I  think  our  own  are  better ; 
but  I  would  rather  live  under  the  old,  or  under 
any  form  of  regular  society  that  ever  existed,  with 
the  Spirit  of  God  animating  its  members,  than 
under  the  freest  possible  constitution  of  govern- 
ment, where  men  full  of  envy  and  hatred  stood, 
each  in  his  well-defined,  well-defended  position, 
scowling  defiance  against  each  other.     I  would 


34  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

rather  be  the  reaper  of  Boaz,  a  stranger  to  political 
freedom,  respectfully  submitting  to  the  will  of  my 
master,  yet  gladly  hailing  my  master's  approach, 
and  with  frank  confidence  returning  his  kind 
salutation,  than  the  spinner  in  one  of  our  fac- 
tories, possessed  of  the  franchise  as  well  as  my 
employer,  —  he  combining  with  other  masters  to 
reduce  my  pay,  and  I  combining  with  other  work- 
men to  set  him  at  defiance.  Though  I  delight  to 
bear  testimony  to  the  value  of  free  institutions,  as 
far  as  they  go,  I  proclaim  earnestly,  that,  if  there 
be  not  the  fear  of  God  and  love  to  men  which 
the  Gospel  teaches  and  the  Holy  Spirit  inspires, 
the  improved  apparatus  only  serves  to  increase 
our  misery. 

God  intends  a  progress  down  the  generations 
of  the  race  as  well  as  across  the  continents  of  the 
world ;  but  this  is  altogether  a  different  thing  from 
the  coming  of  his  kingdom.  The  material  and 
social  advancement  of  nations  may  prepare  the 
way,  but  cannot  supply  the  place,  of  the  Lord. 
To  those  who  expect  too  much  from  it,  this  social 
progress  answers,  "One  cometh  after  me  worthier 
than  I."  The  kingdom  of  God  does  not  consist 
in  certain  forms  of  society.  It  is  not,  "  Lo,  here  ! 
and  lo,  there  !"  The  kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you.     If  social  progress  be  not  baptized  with  the 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  35 

Spirit,  it  is  destitute  of  real  good  to  immortal  be- 
ings.* When  the  natural  advancement  is  com- 
plete,  and  the  spiritual  reformation  effected,  then 
may  the  millennial  glory  be.  Wlien  fully  deve- 
loped human  faculties  shall  be  saturated  in  all 
their  actings  by  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  then 
shall  the  end  be,  —  the  issue  of  preceding  provi- 
dential dispensations.  Meantime,  what  we  most 
need  is  sanctification  by  the  truth  upon  persons, — 
the  whole  law  of  God  rewritten  by  the  Spirit  upon 
the  tables  of  human  hearts.  Look  at  the  condi- 
tion of  the  continental  nations  during  these  three 
years  past,  and  learn  how  little  mere  natural  de- 
velopment can  do  for  men.    Compare  the  harvest- 

[  *  If  social  progress  is  to  be  baptized  with  the  Spirit,  it 
must  be  such  progress  as  is  taught  in  the  Word  of  God.  If 
that  Word  contains  such  teachings,  the  time  has  come  for 
their  full  development ;  for  the  world  is  now  full  of  devices 
for  social  progress,  of  men's  devising.  We  must  now  resort 
more  earnestly  to  the  "  New  Commandment,"  which  is  exceed- 
ing broad,  and  see  if  it  be  not  adequate  to  cover  the  whole 
ground  of  human  well-being.  Let  it  now  be  inquired  if 
Christ  and  his  apostles  have  not  left  us  lessons  of  social 
wisdom  which  teach  us  how  social  evils  may  be  extirpated  by 
the  force  of  moral  power,  without  upturning  or  disturbing 
injuriously  to  the  interests  of  society  any  social  edifice.  Let 
all  our  systems  of  political  economy  and  social  philosophy, 
and  all  our  theories  of  politics  and  our  speculations  upon 
human  well-being,  be  examined  anew,  under  the  full  light  of 
the  New  Commandment,  as  stated  and  developed  in  the  New 
Testament.  —  C] 


36  RELATIONS  SUBSISTING  AMONGST 

field  of  Boaz  with  the  bloody  streets  *  of  Eome, 
Paris,  Vienna,  Berlin  ;  and  learn,  that  the  smallest 
measure  of  human  advancement,  with  the  grace 
of  God  in  the  persons,  makes  a  happier  commu- 
nity than  the  very  highest  degrees  of  unsanctified 
civilization. 

Consider  now,  more  particularly,  the  two  fea- 
tures that  characterised  the  intercourse  between 
Boaz  and  his  reapers.  These  are  kindliness  and 
godliness  ; — there  is  love  of  men,  and  there  is  reve- 
rence of  God.  We  need  these  in  their  union  to 
sweeten  the  intercourse  between  master  and  man  in 
our  own  day,  and  in  our  own  city.  These  heaven- 
wrought  characteristics,  if  our  spirits  were  imbued 
with  them,  would  be  found  as  applicable  to  the 
forms  of  modern  as  of  ancient  institutes.  Love, 
divine  and  human,  bedded  in  the  breast,  would 
smooth,  and  soften,  and  hallow  the  connection 
between  manufacturer  and  operative  in  the  tho- 
roughfores  of  Glasgow,  as  fully  as  it  did  the  con- 
nection between  farmer  and  laborer  of  old  in  the 
fields  of  Palestine.  Love,  like  light,  is  the  same 
now  as  it  was  then,  —  the  same  in  its  origin,  na- 
ture, and  effects.f 

*  Written  soon  after  the  Revolution  of  1848. 
[f  The  attentive  observer  of  the  progress  of  human  ameliora- 
tion in  its  religious  and  social  aspects,  is  now  fully  aware  that 


DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY.       37 

I.  Kindliness  is  greatly  to  be  desired  in  tlie  in- 
tercourse of  employers  and  employed  in  our  day. 
The  master  and  the  men  must  meet  often  for  the 
transaction  of  business  that  is  of  common  con- 
cern. If  the  meetings  be  devoid  of  kindness,  they 
are  unpleasant  and  injurious.  The  intercourse  of 
human  beings,  acting  with  and  for  each  other, 
without  human  sympathy,  is  like  the  acting  of 
wheel  upon  wheel  in  machinery  without  oil.  The 
wheels  strike  hard,  one  upon  another.  They 
waste  each  other,  and  shake  the  whole  fabric  in 
which  they  are  fastened.  The  driver  wheel 
harshly  strikes  and  wears  the  driven  wheel ;  and 
the  driven  wheel  harshly  receives,  and  reciprocally 
wears  the  driver.  If  the  motion  becomes  quick, 
and  the  strokes  frequent — tooth  upon  tooth  strik- 
ing hard  and  dry  —  there  will  be  generated  at  the 
point  of  contact  a  consuming  fire.     Is  not  this  a 

the  great  desideratum  in  both  respects  is  a  stricter  obedience 
to  the  command  —  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  If  we 
obey  not  this  command,  we  hold  but  to  the  half  of  Christian- 
ity. The  command  to  love  God,  is  of  no  higher  authority 
than  the  command  to  love  man.  There  is  a  difference  in  the 
degree  of  the  love,  but  none  in  the  nature,  authority,  or  strin- 
gency of  the  obligation.  Our  disobedience  in  either  case  is 
equally  fatal.  Indeed — "  All  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word, 
even  in  this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Gal.  v. 
14.  "  For  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen, 
how  can  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?  "  1  John,  iv.  20. 
-C] 


38  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

picture  of  the  intercourse  that  we  often  see  be- 
twixt the  classes,  in  a  mercantile  and  manufactur- 
ing community  ?  The  master  distributes  his  capi- 
tal to  drive  the  man,  precisely  as  he  distributes  his 
steam-power  to  drive  the  wheels  of  his  mill.  The 
man  submits  himself  to  that  power  to  be  driven, 
compelled  to  do  so  by  the  necessity  of  having 
daily  bread  for  himself  and  his  family.  In  most 
cases,  there  is  no  oil  of  human  kindness  poured 
upon  the  wheels  at  the  point  of  contact.  The 
master  has  no  interest  in  the  man ;  the  man  feels 
no  regard  for  the  master.  Oh,  if  there  were  kind- 
ness between  man  and  man  —  a  brother's  sym- 
pathy shown  on  the  one  hand,  and  received  on 
the  other — how  much  more  softly  would  the  ma- 
chine of  society  move,  and  how  much  more  pro- 
ductive would  its  movements  be,  both  to  the  capi- 
talist and  the  laborer  !  How  much  we  suffer  from 
harsh  supercilious  pride  on  the  one  hand,  and 
dogged  discontented  pride  on  the  other !  Here  is 
a  noble  field  for  the  philanthropist  to  labor  on. 
He  who  shall  increase  the  kindliness  between  ope- 
ratives and  their  employers,  will  be  a  benefactor 
of  his  race.  All  does  not  lie  with  the  masters,  but 
the  initiative  is  with  them.  They  have  more  in 
their  power.  People  speak  sometimes  of  the  spe- 
cies advancing  on  to  perfection.    'Well,  perfection 


DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY.       39 

lies  farther  off  than  these  sanguine  renovators  are 
aware  of;  but  those  are  truly  making  a  step  in 
advance,  who  treat  men  in  common  transactions 
with  a  brother's  love,  and  not  as  mere  producing 
machines. 

AVe  shall  lose  all  the  benefit  of  our  vast  ma- 
chinery :  it  will  be  blighted  by  a  curse,  if  we  use 
living  men  as  a  part  of  it — if  we  make  no  distinc- 
tion between  the  most  wonderful  work  of  God, 
and  these  dead  mindless  workers  which  our  own 
hands  have  set  up.  If  we  take  the  symmetrical 
limbs,  the  cunning  hands,  the  contracting  sinews, 
the  warm  circling  blood,  the  mind,  the  life,  the 
soul,  of  a  being  made  in  the  image  of  God,  and 
set  them  in  our  estimation  on  a  level  with  the 
wheels  and  cranks  and  cylinders  of  our  inanimate 
machines  —  the  Maker  is  dishonored  in  his  work. 
God  is  displeased.  His  law  is  violated.  His 
image  is  defaced.  Society  is  out  of  joint,  her 
motions  are  uneasy ;  she  is  sick,  and  knows  not 
what  ails  her.  Ails  her !  Look  at  this !  Man 
has  been  pieced-in  to  complete  an  engine,  that  it 
may  spin  and  weave  and  make  money  !  Human 
brains  have  been  weighed  in  the  same  balance 
with  the  dross  that  feeds  the  furnace  !  You  take 
the  girth  of  a  man's  soul,  as  you  do  of  a  wrought- 
iron  piston,  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  the 
7 


40  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

amount  of  propulsion  that  may  be  expected  out 
of  it.  Both,  and  both  alike,  you  put  under  the 
steam,  and  work  them  till  they  be  worn  :  then  you 
toss  them  away,  and  look  out  for  others.  This  is 
the  ailment  of  society.  3Ian  is  not  a  hrother  to 
man.* 

Having  introduced  the  wheel,  and  found  it  ser- 
viceable, let  us  employ  it  to  teach  another  lesson. 
The  wheel  that  drives  is  as  necessary  a  part  of  the 
machine  as  those  that  are  driven.  Itself  is  driven 
by  some  other  and  higher  power.  It  would  not 
be  good  for  any  portion,  if  one  were  removed  or 
disabled.  It  is  thus  with  the  classes  of  society, 
especially  the  employers  and  the  employed.  The 
laborer  should  not  fret  against  the  employer  as 
such.  He  is  part  of  the  organization  of  Provi- 
dence. We  do  n't  want  this  wheel  that  racks  you 
taken  out  of  the  way.  We  want  it  oiled  with 
holy  human  sympathy.  We  wish  it  to  touch  you 
still,  and  impel  you  to  industry,  with  such  softness 

[  *  Our  author  advances  here  opinions  at  variance  with  the 
science  of  political  economy  as  taught  in  the  schools  of  our 
day.  This  science  regards  wealth  —  riches  mainly,  and  dis- 
cards humane  and  moral  considerations.  It  excludes  Chris- 
tianity from  its  path,  and  claims  to  put  forth  all  the  laws 
which  relate  to  the  formation,  distribution,  and  consumption 
of  wealth  —  thus  rejecting  the  comprehensive  rules  of  duty 
which  bind  Christians  every  where  and  in  every  thing.  —  C] 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES    OF   SOCIETY.  41 

as  will  be  pleasant  at  the  time,  and  such  power  as 
will  be  profitable  afterwards  to  yourselves  and 
your  families. 

But  how  shall  we  get  such  kindliness  poured 
out  upon  the  too,  too  sharp  spirits  of  men,  when 
the  classes  meet  in  a  bristling  array  of  mutual  sus- 
picion and  defiance  ?  "We  must  go  to  seek  it  in 
the  source  of  all  good.*  The  sympathy  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking  is  the  second  command- 
ment ;  in  order  to  reach  it  we  must  climb  up  to 
the  first.  We  must  begin  at  the  beginning.  The 
first  commandment  is,  Thou  shalt  love  tlry  neigh- 
bour as  thyself.  "Hear  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  matter :  Fear  God,  and  keep  his  command- 
ments :  for  this  is  the  whole  of  man." — (Eccl.  xii. 
13).  We  are  thus  brought  to  the  other  leading 
characteristic  of  the  intercourse  depicted  in  the 
text. 

[*  We  must  seek  a  remedy  for  the  great  social  evils  of 
the  day  in  the  Bible  —  we  can  only  find  it  there.  It  is  in 
that  development  of  His  commandment  which  we  find  so 
largely  set  forth  in  the  teachings  of  our  Saviour.  It  is  there, 
and  no  where  else,  that  we  shall  find  the  philosophy  which 
can  reach  the  moral  and  social  evils  of  our  day.  We  have 
arrived  at  a  point  in  human  history  when  we  must  betake 
ourselves  to  the  application  of  Christ's  precepts  to  the  social 
condition  of  men  :  in  no  other  way  can  we  obey  the  command 
to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  and  no  other  wisdom  can 
reach  the  evils  of  which  we  complain.  —  C.J 


42  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

II.  Its  godliness.  Look  to  the  subject  matter 
of  that  kind  mutual  salutation,  and  you  will  find 
that  master  and  men  lived  in  the  fear  of  God,  and 
were  not  ashamed  to  own  their  religion  in  each 
other's  presence.  "  The  Lord  be  with  you,"  said 
the  master:  "  The  Lord  bless  thee,"  echoed  the 
men.  From  the  129th  Psalm,  it  appears  that  this 
salutation  was  common  in  Israel. 

The  secret  lies  here.  There  would  be  more  of 
human  kindness  amongst  us,  if  there  were  more 
of  genuine  faith  in  God.  If,  as  dear  children,  we 
all  exercised  confidence  in  the  Father,  we  would 
find  it  easier  to  embrace  each  other.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful characteristic  of  the  Scriptures,  that  they 
recognise  God  throughout.  You  meet  him  at 
every  step,  not  only  in  direct  religious  worship, 
but  in  the  public  history  of  nations  and  the  pri- 
vate intercourse  of  friends.  It  is  here  that  our 
defect  lies.  In  great  measure  God  is  banished 
from  history,  from  politics,  from  merchandise, 
from  manufactures.  God  is  not  willing  to  be 
banished  from  any  of  his  works.  In  him  we  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being.  He  giveth  us  life 
and  breath,  and  all  things.  He  would  have  holiness 
to  the  Lord  written  on  the  bridles  of  the  horses,  and 
stamped  upon  the  beams  of  our  machinery.  This 
practical  ungodliness  is  the  dislocation  that  makes 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES    OF   SOCIETY.  43 

modern  society  so  painfully  to  halt,  notwithstand- 
all  its  advantages. 

"We  do  not  propose  that  at  your  desks  or  your 
counters  you  should  set  aside  your  ledgers  and 
commence  a  debate  on  systems  of  theology. 
Every  thing  in  its  own  time  and  place.  Six  days 
shalt  thou  labour,  and  do  all  thy  work ;  but  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  laboring  in  the  Lord,  though 
you  labor  on  common  materials.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  grace  dwelling  richly  in  the  heart,  ever 
ready  to  flow  forth,  but  not  ostentatiously  pro- 
truded at  unseasonable  times.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  doing  common  business  in  a  Christian 
spirit.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  walking  about  on 
earth  like  one  who  is  going  home  to  heaven.  Pro- 
bably Boaz,  after  that  graceful  salutation,  would 
go  about  and  give  directions  to  the  reapers,  like 
an  ordinary  farmer.  The  treasurer  of  the  Ethi- 
opian queen,  when  he  found  in  Christ  crucified 
the  satisfying  portion  for  his  anxious  soul,  "  went 
on  his  way  rejoicing."  Doubtless,  after  that  jour- 
ney to  Jerusalem,  and  that  interview  with  Philip 
in  the  desert,  he  would  gather  in  the  taxes,  and 
disburse  the  revenue  of  the  barbarian  monarchy, 
at  once  with  the  accuracy  of  a  man  of  business, 
and  the  tenderness  of  conscience  which  character- 
ises the  new-born  child  of  God. 
7* 


44  RELATIONS   SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

We  are  very  low  as  to  the  existence  of  godliness 
in  the  heart;  and  we  are  still  lower  as  to  the 
manifestation  of  it  in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of 
society.  Very  little  of  it  is  possessed :  and  even 
that  little  is  not  Drought  into  exercise.  A  strong- 
bodied  stream  will  easily  sweep  away  even  consi- 
derable obstructions  that  may  be  thrown  in  its 
course ;  but  a  driblet  trickling  in  the  bottom  of  a 
furrow  is  stopped  short,  and  turned  aside  by  a  clod 
or  a  handful  of  straw.  There  are  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  making  religion  tell  on  common  con- 
cerns. These  difficulties  are  in  the  mean  time 
mountains,  although  in  a  day  of  revival  they 
would  be  carried  away.  We  are  persuaded  that 
few  masters  are  to  be  found  at  present  who  would 
not  be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  a  sinner's  hope 
in  a  precious  Saviour  in  presence  of  their  work- 
men ;  and  comparatively  few  mechanics,  who,  if 
such  an  acknowledgment  were  made,  would  not 
openly  sneer,  or  secretly  impute  it  to  hypocrisy. 
The  two  classes  distrust  each  other.  Even  the 
religion  that  they  have,  they  hide  in  each  other's 
presence.*  Alas,  the  only  salve  is  by  a  tacit  com- 
pact kept  far  away  from  the  sores  of  society ! 

[  *  How  much  of  this  distrust  and  want  of  mutual  confidence 
among  Christians  !  How  little  the  interchange  of  doubts  and 
difficulties  compared  with  what  should  be  the  nature  of  our 


DIFFEREXT    CLASSES    OF    SOCIETY.  45 

The  motions  of  the  community  are  jarring  and 
painful,  because  they  are  not  softened  by  divine 
grace.  It  is  a  short-sighted  policy  to  shut  up  reli- 
gion in  churches  and  prayer-meetings,  or  even  in 
households.  Religion  is  intended  for  the  world. 
The  world  has  need  of  it.  Your  weary,  weary, 
clanking  machinery, — ever  going,  never  resting — 
how  much  will  you  give  for  this,  and  what  wages 
will  you  work  for,  —  the  hard  edges  of  that  huge, 
complex  money-making  machine  are  sawing  into 
your  very  flesh  and  bones.  If  the  name  and  Spirit 
of  Christ  were  poured  upon  your  business,  your 
business  would  not  rack  you  so  sore,  nor  waste 
you  so  soon.* 

There  cannot  in  the  nature  of  things  be  a  pro- 
per intercourse  between  human  beings,  if  the  fear 
of  God  and  the  faith  of  the  gospel  do  not  pervade 

daily  intercourse  !  If  he  upon  whose  mind  a  religious  doubt 
supervenes  could  reveal  it  frankly  to  the  first  intelligent 
Christian  Brother  he  met,  how  many  errors  would  be  stayed, 
how  many  souls  comforted !  The  mere  stickler  for  orthodoxy 
never  doubts  —  never  has  occasion  to  cry,  "Lord,  help  mine 
unbelief" :  —  he  has  no  sympathy,  therefore,  for  weaker 
brethren  who  hold  to  the  truth  with  timid  and  prayerful 
anxiety,  ever  desirous  of  increasing  their  store.  —  C] 

[*  Ah,  what  a  change  in  the  aspects  of  business,  if  Christ's 
precepts  were  mingled  in  its  progress  !  But  the  application 
remains  to  be  made  —  that  application  has  yet  to  be  developed 
in  our  religious  literature  and  in  the  thousand-fold  processes 
of  daily  business.  —  C] 


46  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

it.  How  can  you  treat  a  man  aright,  when  you 
have  in  view  only  the  lowest  part  of  his  nature  — 
the  briefest  period  in  his  destiny?  If  the  only 
data  you  take  into  account  be  the  strength  of  his 
sinews  and  the  suppleness  of  his  joints,  you  will 
necessarily  form  an  erring  estimate  of  the  man. 
If  all  that  your  mind  takes  in  regarding  him  be 
his  work  and  his  wages  —  the  profit  and  loss  in 
money  of  retaining  or  dismissing  him,  your  treat- 
ment of  him  cannot  possibly  be  right.  It  is  only 
when  you  learn  to  take  in  the  whole  man,  that 
your  conception  can  be  accurate,  and  your  con- 
duct wise.  It  is  only  while  you  regard  men  as' 
your  brethren,  born  in  sin,  and  under  condemna- 
tion—  as  living  by  God's  permission  a  day  of 
grace,  and  going  soon  to  a  settled  eternity  —  it  is 
only  while  you  thus  conceive  of  them,  that  you 
can  act  your  part  aright  in  the  common  relations 
of  life.  It  is  generally  acknowledged,  that  with- 
out religion  a  man  is  not  fit  for  dying:  it  is 
equally  true,  that  without  religion  a  man  is  not 
fit  for  living.  I  would  not  like  to  go  into  the  un- 
known, untrodden  valley  of  death  with  a  religion 
hastily  snatched  up  for  the  occasion.  I  would 
like  to  have  a  religion  then  which  had  been  tried 
and  found  not  wanting  in  the  various  concerns  of 
a  busy  life.     Faith  worketh   by  love ;    and   this 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  47 

world  of  sin  and  suffering  is  the  appointed  sphere 
of  its  operation.  Godliness  dwelling  in  the  soul, 
and  in  simplicity  brought  to  the  harvest-field,  or 
the  workshop,  will  effect  a  marvellous  transforma- 
tion on  the  character  of  your  employment ;  it  will 
elevate  the  toil  and  traffic  of  earth  into  a  fitting 
exercise  for  an  heir  of  heaven. 

The  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is,  —  1. 
Those  who  are  of  the  world  still  brine:  no  srod- 
liness  to  bear  upon  human  intercourse  to  soften 
it ;  and,  2.  Those,  who  are  born  from  above  bring 
too  little. 

1.  Those  who  have  no  chief  end  for  their  souls, 
and  no  chief  aim  of  their  lives  beyond  things  seen 
and  temporal,  bring  no  godliness  to  bear  on  the 
business  of  society.  You  cannot  apply  to  a 
brother  what  you  have  not  experienced  yourself. 
The  unconverted,  whatever  may  be  the  variety 
of  their  natural  dispositions,  are  themselves  a 
part  of  a  disordered,  dislocated  world.  Its  mo- 
tions are  uneasy ;  its  several  parts  tear  one  another 
as  they  turn  round.  Blow  after  blow  chafes  the 
spirit  and  sears  the  conscience.  Sorrows,  disap- 
pointments, vexations,  come  rolling  on  like  the 
waves  of  the  sea ;  but  the  sorrows  do  not  soothe 
and  heal.  Their  common  effect  is  to  make  the 
disappointed  remove  his  trust  from  men,  without 


48  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

enabling  him  to  transfer  it  to  God.  The  descrip- 
tion given  by  an  apostle  suits  all  unrenewed  men 
better  than  they  are  willing  to  allow,  —  "  living 
in  malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one 
another."  It  is  a  poor,  weary  life,  friends;  the 
gains  at  the  best  are  but  small.  Even  those  who 
do  succeed  in  making  money,  experience  many 
secret  heartburnings,  and  encounter  many  painful 
collisions.  The  money  which  they  make  is  a 
poor  substitute  for  the  blessedness  of  doing  good 
through  life,  —  for  the  blessed  hope  in  Jesus  at 
its  close.  The  many  things  most  unmercifully 
cumber  a  man  as  he  journeys  over  earth,  and 
they  treacherously  leave  him  portionless  as  he 
enters  on  eternity.  One  thing  is  needful.  If  you 
are  not  working  for  God,  you  are  idle ;  if  you 
have  not  gained  your  soul,  you  have  lost  all. 

2.  Those  who  are  born  from  above  bring  too 
little  godliness  to  bear  on  the  common  interests 
of  life.  In  so  far  as  this  backwardness  is  caused 
by  a  low  spiritual  state  in  the  persons,  it  does  not 
properly  come  under  notice  at  present.  It  is  not 
argument  that  is  needed,  but  prayer.  We  must 
have  recourse  to  the  ancient  weapon  of  the  church, 
ever  ready.  We  must  awaken  the  cry,  "Wilt 
thou  not  revive  us  again  ?  "  And  when  the  grace 
which  Christ  gives  shall  be  in  his  people  a  well 


DIFFERENT    CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  49 

of  living  water,  it  will  spring  up  unto  everlasting 
life,  and  flow  out  a  refreshing  stream.  But,  in  so 
far  as  Christians  keep  back  their  Christianity  from 
the  thoroughfare  of  human  life,  on  account  of  a 
despondent  feeling  that  it  would  be  of  no  avail,  I 
venture  to  suggest  that  it  is  a  serious  practical 
error.  In  the  first  place,  duty  is  ours,  and  results 
belong  to  God.  Our  own  expectations  of  success 
are  not  the  measure  of  our  obedience.  And  far- 
ther, the  argument  from  want  of  success  is  un- 
sound. Practical  withdrawment  of  Christian  influ- 
ence from  our  marts  and  manufactures,  is  the 
cause,  and  not  the  effect,  of  the  general  indiffer- 
ence of  which  we  complain.  Most  firmly  do  we 
believe  that  every  Christian  man  who  tries  to 
make  his  religion  bear  on  business,  will  succeed 
in  very  proportion  to  the  prudence  and  perseve- 
rance of  his  effort;  more  especially  Christian 
masters,  who  have  a  number  of  men  in  their 
employment,  could  do  much  if  they  would.  If 
you  point  to  the  present  alienated  and  suspicious 
state  of  the  workmen's  minds,  and  excuse  your 
neutrality  by  averring  that  your  motives  would 
be  suspected  and  your  advances  repelled,  what  is 
this  but  to  say,  The  need  of  Christian  influence  is 
great,  and  therefore  we  will  entirely  withhold  it  ? 
This  is  not  the  attitude  to  be  taken  by  a  disciple 


50  RELATIONS    SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

of  Christ.  If  he  had  retired  from  the  field  on 
the  plea  that  His  first  advances  were  not  welcomed, 
where  now  would  have  been  the  hope  of  this 
miserable  world?  He  has  left  ns  an  example 
that  we  should  follow  His  steps.  Besides,  the 
subject  is  really  not  so  hopeless  as  our  indolence 
would  represent  it  to  be.  If  the  essence  of  that 
farmer's  salutation  on  the  fields  of  Bethlehem 
were  transfused  into  the  hearts  and  lips  of  Chris- 
tian masters  amongst  us,  it  would  certainly  win 
a  kindlier  response  from  many  an  artizan  who  is 
at  present  regardless  of  his  master,  because  he 
thinks  his  master  is  regardless  of  him.  If  the 
ancient  watchword,  "  The  Lord  be  with  you,'' 
should  become  the  honest  utterance  of  the  mas- 
ters' conduct  in  their  dealings  with  the  men,  it 
would  awaken  yet  the  ancient  echo,  "  The  Lord 
bless  thee,"  even  from  that  frowning  array  of 
what  you  think  rocky  and  unimpressible  hearts. 
We  have  no  right  to  give  up  the  masses  as  con- 
clusively indurated,  and  incapable  of  being  fused 
again  into  one  with  the  other  portions  of  the 
social  body,  until  we  have  made  greater  efforts 
than  this  generation  has  yet  seen  to  melt  them, 
by  heaping  Christian  love  and  human  sympathy 
as  coals  of  fire  upon  their  head.  We  have  no 
right  to  pronounce  the  subject  impracticable  until 


DIFFERENT    CLASSES    OF    SOCIETY.  51 

we  have  tried  it ;  raid,  in  point  of  fact,  those  who 
are  doing  nothing,  most  confidently  cry  out, 
Xothing  can  be  done.  Tv  hen  we  have  done  all, 
we  shall  be,  as  to  merit,  in  the  Lord's  sight, 
unprofitable  servants  ;  but  if  we  really  do  all  that 
is  in  our  power  to  do,  he  will  not  leave  us  un- 
profitable servants  as  to  the  success  of  our  efforts 
for  the  good  of  men. 

I  am  aware  of  one  device  whereby  Christ's  true 
disciples  are  often  rendered  silent.  Very  many 
men  of  good  standing  and  reputable  character 
assert  frequently,  confidently,  and  in  precise  terms, 
that  religious  people  are  less  to  be  trusted  in  busi- 
ness than  those  who  make  no  profession.  This, 
I  have  no  doubt,  is  one  of  the  old  serpent's  lies, 
invented  and  propagated  in  order  to  silence  the 
voice  of  disciples  in  the  world's  market-place,  and 
allow  Mammon  to  retain  undisputed  possession 
of  the  field.  Xo  one  denies  that  there  are  hypo- 
crites who  endeavor  to  make  gain  by  a  Christian 
profession.  From  the  nature  of  the  case,  their 
profession  is  loud  and  obtrusive  ;  therefore,  when 
their  duplicity  is  discovered,  it  obtains  much  noto- 
riety. Those  who  suffer  by  the  pretender  to  reli- 
gion, if  they  know  not  the  power  of  it  themselves, 
very  naturally,  but  very  illogically,  conclude  that 
professors  of  religion  are  not  to  be  trusted.  They 
8 


52  RELATIONS   SUBSISTING   AMONGST 

would  not  make  so  great  an  error  on  other  sub- 
jects. Their  hasty  and  erroneous  conclusion  shows 
that  religion  touches  them  somewhere  upon  a 
tender  place.  Why  are  they  so  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity of  dealing  it  a  blow  ?  Is  it  to  weaken  an 
adversary  ?  Of  necessity  the  religion  of  Christ  is 
felt  to  be  the  enemy  of  the  man  who  neglects  and 
despises  it.  In  so  far  as  that  man  feels  it  at  all, 
he  feels  it  an  arrow  in  his  bones ;  he  is  fain,  in 
self-defence,  to  get  something  that  promises  to 
blunt  its  point  and  weaken  its  power. 

It  is  against  reason  and  common  sense  to  say 
that  religious  men  are  less  to  be  trusted  in  busi- 
ness than  others.  The  very  existence  of  hypocrisy 
proves  the  power  of  the  truth.  If  there  were  no 
real  Christians,  there  would  be  no  hypocritical 
pretenders.  Those  who  cheat  their  neighbors 
under  the  cloak  of  a  religious  profession  are,  of 
course,  insincere  Christians,  for  they  are  acting  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  known  laws  of  their  faith. 
Demonstrably  they  assume  the  profession  of 
Christianity,  while  they  are  destitute  of  its  power. 
But,  if  it  were  true  that  religious  men  generally 
are,  in  point  of  fact,  not  to  be  depended  on  for 
honesty,  no  wicked  man  would  assume  the  dis- 
guise. The  false  pretender  finds  a  profession  pro- 
fitable, otherwise  he  would  not  assume  it.    But  if 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   SOCIETY.  53 

Christians,  on  the  whole,  are  less  honest  than 
sceptics  and  worldlings,  it  would  he  a  losing  game 
for  the  hypocrite  to  adopt  the  Christian  name. 
Merchants  are  sharp  enough  in  matters  of  their 
own  interests.  If  Christians  were  as  slippery  as 
their  adversaries  represent  them,  society  would  not 
be  troubled  with  swindlers  under  a  religious  garb. 
If  no  gold  sovereigns  were  in  circulation,  no  base 
sovereigns  would  be  uttered  ;  for  this  plain  reason, 
they  would  not  go.  If  there  were  not  a  real  reli- 
gion in  the  church,  whose  truth  is  felt  by  the 
world,  no  selfish  adventurer  would  be  found  ply- 
ing his  vocation  under  cover  of  its  honored  name. 
It  would  not  pay.  There  is  true  religion  in  con- 
tact with  the  world,  in  spite  of  the  world's  awk- 
ward attempts  to  deny  it ;  but,  Christians,  there 
might,  there  should  be  a  great  deal  more. 

But  the  best  way,  after  all,  of  making  the  world 
feel  more  of  our  religion,  is  to  have  more  of  it. 
"When  Moses  was  long  in  the  mount  with  God,  his 
face  shone  before  the  people  though  he  wist  it  not. 
So,  if  we  be  much  in  the  secret  of  the  Lord  — 
exposing  our  souls  in  communion  with  God  to  the 
light  of  his  countenance,  men,  when  we  mingle 
with  them,  will  take  knowledge  of  us  that  we 
have  been  with  Jesus.  If  we  live  in  Christ,  and 
walk  with  him ;  if  we  habitually  realize  the  re- 


54  RELATIONS   SUBSISTING,    ETC. 

demption  of  the  soul  as  very  precious,  and  the 
danger  of  all  who  are  out  of  Christ  as  very  great ; 
if  we  pass  through  life  as  strangers  and  pilgrims, 
and  display  the  bearing  that  beseems  the  heirs  of 
glory,  the  evidence  of  our  faith  will  in  some  way 
be  felt  by  our  neighbors.  When  our  spirits  touch 
theirs  in  common  intercourse,  they  will  feel  some- 
what of  the  gentleness  of  Christ.  Thus  might 
Christians  be  the  salt,  which,  though  it  sharply 
irritates  at  first,  is,  in  the  end,  the  sweetener,  pre- 
server, refresher,  of  a  soured,  self-tormented,  cor- 
rupted, decaying  society. 

"  Blessed  are  the  peace-makers,  for  they  shall 
be  called  the  children  of  God." 


LECTURE  n. 

C0VET0USXESS —  ITS    COMPANY   AXD    ITS    CHARACTER. 

"  Mortify  therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth  ; 
fornication,  uncleanness,  inordinate  affection,  evil  concu- 
piscence, and  covetousness,  which  is  idolatry." — Col.  iii.  5. 

Covetousxess  is  simply  a  thirst  for  gain,  not 
necessarily  accompanied  with  the  envy  that  would 
unjustly  possess  itself  of  what  belongs  to  another. 
When  that  thirst  burns  in  a  man's  breast,  he  must 
make  some  effort  to  obtain  relief.  He  must  try 
either  to  extinguish  it,  so  that  it  shall  not  make 
any  demand,  or  to  satisfy  the  demand  which  it 
makes.  He  must  either  starve  it  by  a  religious 
self-denial,  or  feed  it  by  a  carnal  indulgence. 
Mammon  still  maintains  his  place  as  the  god  of 
this  world.  His  is  not  merely  a  pageant  throne 
—  a  nominal  sovereignty.  A  very  great  propor- 
tion of  our  more  respectable  citizens  do  him 
homage  and  obey  his  laws.  His  sendee  is  hard, 
yet  his  subjects  are  loyal;  they  groan  beneath 
their  burden,  and  yet  daily  add  to  its  load. 

I  speak  not  here  of  the  multitude,  on  the  other 
extreme,  who  live  like  the  beasts  that  perish,  and 
8  *  (  55  ) 


56  COVETOUSNESS  — 

never  look  beyond  the  present  hour ;  but  of  the 
class  who  are  clear  from  the  charge  of  improvi- 
dence, too  many  are  caught  and  carried  away  by 
the  passion  for  making  money.  The  wide  preva- 
lence and  disastrous  effects  of  this  raging  appetite, 
are  sufficient  to  alarm  any  one  who  has  the  pros- 
perity of  his  country  at  heart.  It  sweeps  over  the 
land  like  a  flood,  and  its  course  is  marked  by  the 
desolation  that  it  leaves  in  many  a  heart  and 
many  a  household.  "When  this  passion  is  per- 
mitted to  swell  in  the  bosom  of  one  man,  its  con- 
sequences are  not  confined  to  himself,  or  even  to 
his  family.  That  lust  produces  a  desolating  surge, 
that  spreads  far  and  wide  over  the  neighborhood, 
submerging  suddenly  many  a  happy  home  — 
making  beggars  of  a  multitude  who  were  dwellers 
in  security.  This  sin,  like  others,  brings  suffering 
in  its  train,  and  the  innocent  suffer  with  the  guilty. 
The  burning  lust  of  gain,  cherished  and  brooded 
over  in  the  hearts  and  at  the  desks  of  Mammon- 
serving  men,  bursts  forth  at  last  with  a  power 
which  themselves  cannot  control,  and  shoots  like 
a  fiery  meteor  through  the  city's  crowded  and 
helpless  population,  leaving  behind  it  a  hideous 
trail  of  hopes  disappointed  and  hearts  broken  — 
silent  distrust  and  angry  recrimination*— iudustry 
J  aid  prostrate  and  inheritances  alienated — orphans 
naked  and  widows  in  want  of  broad. 


ITS    COMPANY   AND    ITS    CHARACTER.  57 

We  are  in  amazement.  We  are  kept  in  per- 
petual alarm.  Before  we  have  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  one  unexpected  blow,  we  are  stunned 
by  another.  "When  we  go  forth  in  the  morning, 
it  is  with  anxiety  that  we  meet  a  friend,  or  open 
a  newspaper.  We  know  not  whence  the  next 
stroke  may  proceed,  or  where  it  may  fall.  Mat- 
ters seem  verging  to  that  state  in  which  no  man 
can  trust  his  fellow.  We  begin  to  ask,  is  there 
aught  of  fixed  principle  or  fair  dealing  among 
men ;  and  some,  distracted  and  overwhelmed  by 
the  inextricable  maze  of  deceit,  and  greed,  and 
stupidity,  and  dishonesty,  with  which  they  are 
surrounded,  may  be  tempted  to  cry,  "What  is 
truth?"* 

Among  the  elements  of  the  nation's  greatness 
lie  the  seeds  of  its  sure  decay.  The  very  abund- 
ance of  our  material  resources,  and  the  very  excess 

[*  The  picture  here  given  of  this  present  world  is  at  once 
truthful  and  alarming.  How  much  do  professed  Christians 
contribute  to  fill  up  the  sketch  ?  Where  shall  we  find  the 
Christian  doctrines  which  unfold  to  men  their  special  duties 
in  their  intercourse  with  men  ?  Where  is  the  Christian  social 
science  which  should  leaven  this  whole  mass  of  worldliness? 
Christ  has  left  us  the  laws  —  the  principles,  which  reach  the 
case  ;  where  is  our  commentary?  What  man  will  pretend  to 
say  that  any»  adequate  exposition  of  Christ's  teachings,  in 
their  bearing  on  the  social  philosophy  and  daily  avocations, 
has  yet  appeared  ?  —  C]  p  22 


58  COVETOUSNESS  — 

of  our  mercantile  enterprise,  seem  to  be  forcing 
iiito  earlier  maturity  the  vices  that  will  lay  our 
glory  in  the  dust.  "  Righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation,  hut  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people." 
The  sin  of  covetousness,  cherished  by  its  own 
success  into  enormous  magnitude,  is  even  now 
working  the  ruin  of  this  people.  The  church 
shares  with  the  nation  in  the  rottenness  of  root, . 
and  shares  also  in  the  danger  of  a  downfall.  The 
condition  of  Judah  in  Jeremiah's  time  seems  the 
counterpart  of  our  own :  "I  am  full  of  the  fury 
of  the  Lord ;  I  am  weary  with  holding  in  :  I  will 
pour  it  out  upon  the  children  abroad,  and  upon 
the  assembly  of  young  men  together :  for  even 
the  husband  with  the  wife  shall  be  taken,  the 
aged  with  him  that  is  full  of  da}Ts.  And  their 
houses  shall  be  turned  unto  others,  with  their 
fields  and  wives  together :  for  I  will  stretch  out 
my  hand  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  saith 
the  Lord.  For  from  the  least  of  them  even  unto 
the  greatest  of  them,  every  one  is  given  to  covet- 
ousness."—  (Jer.  vi.  11-13.) 

"  When  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a  flood, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  lift  up  a  standard 
against  him."  —  (Tsa.  lix.  19.)  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is  beforehand  with  the  enemy.  Already  in 
the  Scriptures  a  standard  has  been  lifted  up  against 


ITS    COMPANY   AXD    ITS    CHARACTER.  5(J 

every  onset.  There  is  no  effort  of  the  wicked  one 
that  has  not  "been  foreseen  by  the  Lord,  and  fore- 
told to  his  people.  Before  they  call,  He  has 
answered  them.  So  bulky  an  object  was  covet- 
ousness  in  the  future  of  Christ's  church,  when  the 
prophetic  spirit  looked  down  the  ages,  that  warn- 
ings against  it  must  occupy  a  prominent  place  in 
the  written  Word.  Accordingly,  when  we  turn 
to  the  Scriptures,  we  find  that  in  this,  as  in  other 
things,  faithful  is  He  that  calleth  us.  He  has 
given  us  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept. 
It  would  be  well  for  the  members  of  the  church 
in  this  land,  and  in  these  days,  to  remember  oft 
the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  "  Take 
heed,  and  beware  of  covetousness." 

In  the  present  lecture  I  propose  to  point  out 
two  things  in  connection  with  covetousness,  both 
found  in  the  text,  and  abundantly  corroborated 
by  other  Scriptures. 

These  are :  — 
I.  What  it  is  associated  with ;  and 

n.  What  it  is  declared  to  be, 
Its  Company,  and 
Its  Character. 

It  is  associated  with  fornication  and  all  unclean- 
ness,  and 

It  is  declared  to  be  idolatry.     We  know  it  by 


GO  COVETOUSNESS  — 

the  company  that  it  keeps,  and  the  definition  that 
has  been  assigned  to  it  in  the  Word  of  God. 

I.  It  is  the  compayiion  of  adultery.  In  the  text  the 
two  stand  chained  together,  exposed  to  the  gaze 
of  every  generation  as  it  passes  by.  You  observe, 
that  under  different  names  these  are  the  two 
things  that  occupy  the  verse.  This  text  of  the 
Word  brings  forth  fornication  and  covetousness 
to  be  condemned  in  couples.  The  conjunction  is 
too  pointed,  and  too  frequent  in  Scripture,  to 
allow  the  supposition  of  accident.  Observe  some 
instances  of  the  juxtaposition  of  these  two  things 
that  at  first  sight  seem  not  very  similar.  The 
same  apostle  unites  them  in  1  Cor.  v.  11,  "But 
now  I  have  written  unto  you  not  to  keep  com- 
pany, if  any  man  that  is  called  a  brother  be  a 
fornicator  or  covetous."  Again,  Eph.  v.  3,  "But 
fornication  and  all  uncleanness  or  covetousness, 
let  it  not  once  be  named  among  you  as  becometh 
saints."  See  to  the  same  effect  the  judgment  of 
another  apostle,  2  Peter  ii.  14,  "  Having  eyes  full 
of  adultery,  and  that  cannot  cease  from  sin ;  be- 
guiling unstable  souls  ;  an  heart  they  have  exer- 
cised with  covetous  practices  ;  cursed  children." 

"When  a  man  has  plunged  into  some  vice  to 
which  the  fashion  of  the  day  gives  countenance, 


ITS    COMPANY   AND   ITS    CHARACTER.  61 

he  is  indignant  to  find  that  the  law  affords  him 
no  indulgence,  but  makes  him  stand  side  by  side 
with  more  vulgar  convicts.  It  is  so  with  covet- 
ousness  —  the  thirst  for  gain  —  in  this  impartial 
law  of  the  Lord.  Of  design  and  habitually  it  is 
made  to  pair  off  with  one  of  the  most  loathsome 
vices  that  our  fallen  nature  knows.  It  is  not 
without  a  reason  in  their  own  nature,  as  well  as 
an  advantage  in  giving  effect  to  the  admonition, 
that  the  Scriptures  associate  them  so  closely  as 
kindred  sins.  There  is  a  real  similarity  of  nature 
which  suggests  and  justifies  the  classification  that 
obtains  in  the  Bible.  It  is  the  principle  that  like 
draws  to  like,  and  not  a  mere  arbitrary  juxta- 
position that  has  produced  the  phenomenon  exhi- 
bited in  these  texts  of  Scripture.  The  names  are 
associated,  because  the  natures  are  similar. 

In  pointing  out  that  similarity,  I  have  an  object 
in  view  analogous  to  that  of  the  judge,  who,  find- 
ing a  certain  crime  so  favoured  by  fashion  that  it 
is  scarcely  accounted  criminal,  pronounces  the 
sentence  of  the  law  against  the  man  who  has 
been  convicted  of  it  —  sets  him  up  side  by  side 
with  another  ruffian,  meaner,  but  not  more  guilty 
—  shackles  the  two  together  —  and  marches  them 
off  to  the  same  punishment.  The  aim  of  the 
judge  is  to  strip  a  favorite  vice  of  the  respecta- 


62  COVETOUSNESS  — 

bility  that  a  distempered  fashion  had  invested  it 
withal,  and  to  cover  it  with  the  shame  that 
naturally  belongs  to  it;  so,  finding  the  sin  of 
covetousness  screened  by  the  numbers  who  prac- 
tise it,  and  almost  raised  into  a  virtue  by  the 
goodly  character  they  bear,  I  desire  to  drag  it 
down  from  the  place  which  it  has  impudently 
usurped,  and  chain  it  to  the  comrade  assigned  to 
it  by  the  Lawgiver  and  Judge  of  men. 

Observe,  now,  some  marks  of  kindred  between 
these  associated  sins,  — 

1.  Covetousness  —  that  is,  a  greed  of  gain,  a 
haste  to  be  rich  —  is  like  the  sin  of  uncleanness, 
in  that  it  is  the  unlawful  direction  and  acting  of 
desires  that  are  not  in  themselves  unlawful.  It 
is  in  this  peculiarity  that  its  great  strength  lies. 
All  the  anxious  purposes  and  busy  actings  that 
the  lust  of  gain  wields  to  compass  its  own  end, 
are  lawful  instruments,  and  may  be  lawfully  em- 
ployed. They  are  called  into  existence,  and  set 
agoing  in  the  service  of  a  virtuous  industry ;  and 
then  they  constitute  an  agency  already  organized 
to  do  the  work  of  the  demon  who  glides  in  and 
assumes  the  control.  There  would  be  compara- 
tively little  danger  of  a  province  rising  in  formid- 
able rebellion  against  its  prince,  if  the  constitution 
of  its  government  from  the  beginning  provided 


ITS   COMPANY  AND   ITS   CHARACTER.  63 

that  no  soldiers  should  be  raised  and  exercised 
within  its  borders.  In  such  a  case,  the  very  first 
band  of  men  that  should  come  together  would  be 
accounted,  and  would  be,  an  overt  act  of  rebellion. 
The  power  of  the  sovereign  would  be  employed 
to  crush  it  in  the  bud.  But  if  it  were  permitted 
and  required  by  the  constitution  that  this  province 
should  raise  and  maintain  an  effective  army,  on 
its  own  territory,  and  under  its  own  officers,  the 
army  raised  without  suspicion  might  more  readily 
be  employed  to  enforce  a  disloyal  claim.  It  is 
thus  with  the  whole  apparatus  of  virtuous  indus- 
try. A  man  is  not  only  permitted,  he  is  bound  to 
ply  his  handicraft,  or  prosecute  his  merchandise. 
With  a  view  to  the  support  of  his  family,  it  is  his 
duty  to  strike  out  vigorously  on  some  of  the  lines 
that  lie  open  to  enterprise  in  this  great  commercial 
community.  The  complex  apparatus  of  the  manu- 
factory and  the  counting-house  is  there.  It  has 
been  innocently  —  dutifully  constructed  and  set 
in  motion ;  and  it  is  this  ready-made  machinery 
of  virtue  that  an  insidious  vice  seizes,  and  con- 
trols, and  perverts.  Who  shall  tell  the  moment 
when  the  goodly  apparatus  ceases  to  be  impelled 
by  virtue,  and  begins  to  be  impelled  by  vice? 
Who  shall  tell  how  far  this  prosperous  merchant 
is  pleasing  God  by  industry,  and  how  far  pro- 
9 


64  COVETOUSNESS — 

yoking  Him  by  covetousness  ?  The  inner  cham- 
ber where  the  whole  is  set  in  motion  is  the  human 
heart ;  and  who  can  search  it  but  God  ?  When 
the  evil  spirit  enters  and  takes  possession  of  the 
powers  that  industry  had  wielded,  it  is  a  stealthy 
entrance.  He  enters  in  disguise.  lie  has  accom- 
plices in  the  penetralia  of  that  heart  before  him. 
Those  desires  within  that  would  not  admit  of 
waiting,  knocking  Jesus,  open  at  the  whisper  of 
Mammon.  The  whole  operation  is  conducted 
under  cover  of  a  consummate  hypocrisy.  The 
banner  of  industry  still  floats  aloft  on  the  flagstaff 
of  the  busy  manufactory.  When  Mammon  gets 
the  power,  he  allows  others  to  retain  the  name. 
The  change  has  taken  place  —  a  change  charac- 
teristic, vital,  permanent,  and  yet  no  one  knows. 
It  will  never  be  known  till  the  clay  reveal  it,  at 
what  precise  moment  and  by  what  particular 
means  the  change  was  effected,  and  yet  the  change 
is  fraught  with  consequences  great  as  the  soul's 
worth,  and  lasting  as  eternity.  The  love  of 
money  has  now  taken  the  place  of  a  God-fearing, 
man-loving  sense  of  duty  as  the  motive  power  in 
this  man's  soul.  The  affections  and  energies  of 
an  accountable,  immortal  being,  that  started  in  a 
virtuous  effort  to  win  daily  bread,  and  seem  to  be 
so  employed  still,  are  now  animated  by  a  sordid 


ITS   COMPANY   AND   ITS    CHARACTER.  65 

lust,  and  prostituted  to  objects  hateful  to  God, 
and  hurtful  to  his  creatures. 

Such  is  the  insidious  nature  of  this  sin.  Emo- 
tions and  energies  that  are  in  themselves  inno* 
cent,  and  that  may  be  innocently  put  forth  on 
lawful  objects,  are  secretly  turned  aside  ;  and, 
without  any  change  in  the  outward  appearance, 
are  possessed  by  an  unclean  spirit,  and  wasted  on 
low  grovelling  efforts  that  degrade  and  torment 
the  man.  Do  we  guard  this  exposed  side  ?  Do 
we  watch  and  pray  that  Satan  may  not  here 
obtain  an  advantage  over  us  ?  What  though  we 
make  money  ?  If  we  lose  our  souls  in  making  it, 
there  will  appear  a  loss  on  the  transaction  in  the 
day  when  the  books  are  opened  —  a  loss  total, 
irreparable,  eternal. 

2.  The  sin  of  covetousness  is  like  its  associate, 
in  that  it  grows  by  indulgence.  Unlawful  grati- 
fication strengthens  the  appetite.  It  grows  by 
what  it  feeds  on.  The  progress  of  indulged  lust 
constitutes  a  horrid  picture.  I  shall  not  here 
track  its  footsteps  over  the  slimy  path  by  which 
it  leads  an  immortal  down  to  the  second  death. 
But  the  progress  of  covetousness  is  like  it — more 
like  than  money-loving  men  are  willing  to  allow. 
To  yield  up  the  soul  to  the  love  and  pursuit  of 
money,  produces  the  same  effect  as  the  other  and 


Ob  COVETOUSNESS — 

kindred  debauch.  The  desire  of  the  mind,  as 
well  as  the  desire  of  the  flesh,  is  inflamed  by  tast- 
ing its  unhallowed  gratification.  It  burns  in  the 
breast  like  a  fire,  and  fuel  added  increases  its 
burning.  The  more  that  you  throw  into  this 
raging  appetite,  the  more  it  craves.  It  bursts 
through  the  restraints  of  reason  and  the  sugges- 
tions of  policy,  as  Samson  did  through  the  green 
withs  that  bound  him.  I  might  adduce  instances 
of  the  passion  culminating  into  madness ;  but  it 
is  not  necessary.  Examples  are  patent  to  every 
eye.  The  world  teems  with  them.  The  man 
who  makes  money  an  object  to  be  aimed  at  for 
its  own  sake,  instead  of  an  instrument  to  be  em- 
ployed for  the  sake  of  the  comforts  it  procures,  is 
by  common  consent  called  a  miser  (miserable  one) 
—  evidence  athat  will  not  out,"  indented  on  the 
very  language  of  mankind,  to  prove  that  Mam- 
mon first  entraps,  and  then  tortures  his  victim. 

You  would  be  afraid  to  dally  with  approaches 
to  lasciviousness.  You  would  dread  lest  you 
should  be  caught,  and  carried  down  and  die.  You 
know  of  the  strange  woman  that  "her  feet  go 
down  to  death,  her  steps  take  hold  on  hell."  — 
(Prov.  v.  5.)  You  therefore  hear  God's  word,  and 
fear,  and  depart  from  evil.  You  avoid  it,  you 
pass  not  by.    But  the  two  lusts  are  born  brothers. 


ITS    COMPANY   AXD   ITS   CHARACTER.  67 

Covetousness  and  uncleanness  are  brethren  in  ini- 
quity ;  and  while  yon  would  not  venture  within 
reach  of  the  one,  will  you  cherish  the  embrace  of 
the  other  ?  It  will  matter  little  whether  you  be 
debauched  by  this  vice  or  by  that,  if  your  soul  be 
debauched  and  destroyed.  If  at  the  last  you  lift 
up  your  eyes  in  torment,  it  will  afford  no  consola- 
tion to  reflect  that  you  had  the  countenance  and 
company  of  a  multitude,  in  the  unsuspected  and 
respectable  sin  that  beset  and  overcame  you. 

3.  Covetousness  is  like  the  other  sin,  in  that  the 
least  incipient  indulgence  displeases  God,  and 
sears  the  conscience.  Although  the  disease  may 
never  grow  to  such  a  height  that  men  will  call  you 
a  miser ;  yet  He  who  looketh  on  the  heart  is  angry 
when  he  sees  a  covetous  desire  cherished  there. 
He  who  has  said,  Whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman 
to  lust  after  her,  hath  committed  adultery  with  her 
already  in  his  heart,  has  not  a  more  indulgent  rule 
whereby  to  judge  this  kindred  sin.  In  the  balance 
of  the  sanctuaiy  both  will  be  weighed,  and  alas  ! 
how  many  of  this  community  will  in  that  clay  be 
found  wanting  on  the  score  of  loving  money,  who 
kept  far  away  from  the  less  reputable  vice ! 

On  the  whole,  upon  this  head,  I  fear  there  is  a 
leniency  of  judgment  abroad  in  regard  to  the  sin 
of  covetousness,  which  the  Scriptures  do  not  sanc- 
9* 


68  COVETOUSNESS  — 

tion.  In  particular,  of  these  two  sins  which  the 
Bible  makes  equal  in  guilt,  equal  in  punishment, 
this  community  selects  one  for  special  indulgence, 
and  almost  arrays  the  abominable  vice  in  the  gar- 
ments of  a  virtue.  I  have  pointed  out  that  in  fact 
the  Scriptures  set  them  side  by  side  ;  and  that  in 
nature  they  are  essentially  alike.  What  God  hath 
joined,  whether  good  or  evil,  let  no  man  put 
asunder.  Let  that  which  is  classed  with  the  filthy 
in  the  Word  of  God,  be  classed  with  the  filthy  in 
the  estimation  of  men. 

H.  Covetousness  is  defined  to  be  idolatry.  After 
looking  to  the  company  that  it  keeps,  we  inquire 
into  the  character  that  it  bears. 

"What  saith  the  Scripture?"  (1.)  The  Spirit 
in  the  text  speaketh  expressly,  it  "is  idolatry." 
Other  portions  less  directly,  but  not  less  surely, 
teach  the  same  doctrine.  Eor  example  :  —  (2.) 
"  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon."  —  (Luke 
xvi.  13.)  These  two  are  principals  in  the  contest 
for  sovereignty  in  the  human  heart.  Submission 
to  Mammon  is  the  rejection  of  God.  When  that 
enemy  enters,  he  enters  as  the  rival  of  the  Al- 
mighty. The  devotion  of  one's  soul  to  the  making 
of  money,  is  more  than  a  violation  of  scriptural 
precepts;  it  is  the  creature  renouncing  his  alle- 


ITS   COMPANY   AND   ITS   CHARACTER.  69 

ffiance  to  the  Creator — the  thins:  made  casting  off 
the  authority  of  God  his  Maker.  (3.)  "  Charge 
them  that  are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they  be  not 
high-minded,  nor  trust  in  uncertain  riches,  but  in 
the  living  God." — (1  Tim.  vi.  17.)  The  same  two 
appear  here,  and  they  are  set  in  opposition.  It  is 
a  struggle  for  a  throne,  and  both  cannot  win.  The 
triumph  of  "  uncertain  riches  "  in  the  competition 
for  a  man's  heart,  is  the  dethronement  of  the  liv- 
ing God.  If  riches  get  in,  as  in  point  of  fact  the 
habitual  trust  of  the  heart,  they  come  in  place  of 
God,  and  in  defiance  of  him.  (4.)  "If  I  have 
made  gold  my  hope,  or  have  said  to  the  fine  gold, 
Thou  art  my  confidence ;  if  I  rejoiced  because  my 
wealth  was  great,  and  because  mine  hand  had 
gotten  much ;  if  I  beheld  the  sun  when  it  shined, 
or  the  moon  walking  in  brightness,  and  my  heart 
hath  been  secretly  enticed,  or  my  mouth  hath 
kissed  my  hand ;  this  also  were  an  iniquity  to  be 
punished  by  the  Judge  ;  for  I  should  have  denied 
the  God  that  is  above."— (Job  xxxi.  25-28.)  Here 
the  identity  of  covetousness  and  idolatry  is  as- 
sumed. In  the  mind  of  that  ancient  God-fearer, 
they  stood  side  by  side  as  forms  of  the  same  fun- 
damental iniquity  — the  creature  casting  off  the 
Creator  —  choosing  a  portion  other  than  God. 
Confidence  in  gold,  and  worship  of  the  sun,  are 


70  COVETOUSNESS — 

classed  by  Job  as  mere  varieties  of  the  same  idol- 
atry. These  instances  are  sufficient  to  show  what 
rank  the  Scriptures  assign  to  the  "  love  of  money," 
among  the  manifold  transgressions  of  men. 

Consider  these  things.  What  hath  the  Lord 
spoken  ?  Hear  ye  him  :  "  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am 
a  jealous  God ;  I  am  the  Lord ;  that  is  my  name : 
and  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another,  neither 
my  praise  to  graven  images." — (Isa.  xlii.  8.)  It  is 
not  the  form  or  the  name  of  the  idol  that  he 
regards,  but  the  heart-homage  of  the  worshipper. 
It  is  not  the  height  of  the  image,  or  the  precious- 
ness  of  its  material,  or  the  lowliness  of  the  body's 
bowing  down :  it  is  the  immortal  spirit  that  God 
has  made  admitting  another  than  God  to  the  in- 
most and  uppermost  place  where  He  claims  to  be  ; 
it  is  the  secret  passion  of  the  soul  glutting  itself 
on  gold ;  it  is  this  that  stirs  up  His  jealousy,  and 
makes  His  wrath  burn  like  lire. 

This  leads  us  back  again  to  the  topic  of  the  first 
head,  —  indeed  the  whole  Scriptures  lead  to  this. 
You  cannot  illustrate  the  nature  and  guilt  of  idol- 
atry without  comparing  it  to  uncleanness,  for  the 
Bible  throughout  does  so.  If  we  be  God's  people, 
redeemed  and  renewed,  He  stands  to  us  in  the 
relation  of  a  husband.  He  has  betrothed  his 
church  to  himself  in  everlasting  love  and  faithful- 


ITS   COMPANY  AND   ITS   CHARACTER.  71 

ness,  and  He  will  endure  no  rival  in  the  supreme 
affection  of  a  saved  soul.  It  is  only  in  this  point 
of  view  that  you  can  perceive  the  essential  identity 
of  covetousness  and  idolatry.  In  both  cases  it  is 
the  soul's  prostitution  in  an  unlawful  embrace  of 
forbidden  love.  Our  Maker  claims  to  be  our  Hus- 
band ;  but  the  act  of  covetousness  casts  him  out 
dishonoured  and  despised,  while  the  soul  is  given 
over  to  a  despicable  intruder  in  an  affection  which, 
though  forbidden,  is  felt  to  be  sweet,  —  an  indul- 
gence which  is  greedily  swallowed,  and  speedily 
resorted  to  again. 

In  thus  endeavoring  to  characterise  covetous- 
ness —  the  love  of  gain,  —  I  am  painfully  aware 
that  the  description  given,  though  true,  may  glide 
through  the  mind,  pass  off  from  the  memoiy,  and 
lodo'e  no  conviction  in  the  conscience.  To  the 
quickening  Spirit  I  must  look  for  the  power  that 
will  penetrate  the  defences  of  a  covetous  heart, 
force  forth  from  its  inmost  fold  the  eager  question, 
"Lord,  is  it  I? "  and  give  back  the  answer,  "  Thou 
art  the  man," — printing  it  so  deep,  that  the  whole 
current  of  the  world's  course  rushing  over  it  will 
not  be  able  to  efface  it  again.  To  that  Teacher  I 
desire  to  commit  those  lessons  on  covetousness 
that  I  have  drawn  from  the  Word.  The  subject 
now  broached  in  its  main  principles  I  hope  to 


72  COVETOUSNESS  — 

follow  out,  in  subsequent  lectures,  into  practical 
details.  But  even  in  the  mean  time,  and  before 
we  part,  let  me  ask  you  —  whether  rich  or  poor, 
young  or  old,  male  or  female  —  to  examine  what 
place  you  have  allowed  the  love  of  gain  to  hold 
in  your  hearts.  God  is  not  mocked.  He  will  not 
be  satisfied  with  a  respectful  word,  while  another 
enjoys  the  real  homage  of  your  soul.  Will  you 
dismiss  the  Heart-searcher,  as  you  do  an  unpa- 
tronized  applicant  for  your  bounty,  with  a  polite 
word  and  a  wave  of  your  hand,  and  sit  down  to 
your  desk  again,  glad  that  the  unwelcome  demand 
is  silenced, — the  unwelcome  intruder  out  of  sight  ? 
If  it  be  true  that  God  is  treated  thus,  —  that  your 
wages  and  families,  your  manufactures  and  mer- 
chandise, claim  and  get  all  the  relish  of  your 
souls,  what  will  your  fair  words  avail  when  your 
Maker  meets  you  not  as  a  man  ?  You  may  try 
to  forget  the  lifetime  of  idolatry,  but  in  the  book 
of  judgment  the  record  of  it  remains.  "All  flesh 
is  grass,  but  the  word  of  God  abideth  for  ever." 
According  to  his  own  "Word,  and  not  according 
to  your  fond  wishes,  the  Judge  will  decide.  He 
marks  you  down  idolaters,  and  blots  you  out  of 
the  book  of  life.  Amid  all  the  formalities  that 
prevail,  two  things  are  real:  viz., —  (1.)  The  devo- 
tion of  a  worldly  mind  to  its  gains ;  and,  (2.)  The 


ITS   COMPANY   AND    ITS    CHARACTER.  73 

wrath  of  God  against  such  an  idolater.  The 
superiority  that  the  love  of  gain  has  gotten  in  the 
mind  of  Mammon's  servant,  its  mastery  over  the 
man,  and  the  trampling  clown  of  Christ  and  his 
salvation  to  a  lower  place,  are  a  real  transaction  ; 
whereas  the  "Lord,  Lord"  of  such  a  worldling's 
prayer,  his  attendance  at  church,  his  sitting  at 
the  communion-table,  are  not  real,  are  not  true ; 
and  the  judgment  of  God  is  according  to  truth, 
against  them  that  do  such  things,  —  according  to 
the  reality,  and  not  according  to  the  pretence. 

How  much  money,  then,  may  a  man  have,  and 
yet  be  a  Christian  ?  how  great  a  fortune  may  he 
enjoy  in  this  world  without  cutting  himself  off 
from  the  inheritance  in  heaven  ?  All  that  the 
Lord  gives  him,  even  to  the  half  of  the  world. 
Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, and  you  are  permitted  freely  to  enjoy  all  his 
bounties.  If  One  be  your  husband,  all  these  may 
be  the  glad  attendants  on  the  chaste  spouse  of  the 
Lamb.     All  things  are  yours,  if  you  are  Christ's. 


LECTURE  III. 

MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE  THAN  MONEY'S  WORTH. 

"And  he  said  unto  them,  Take  heed,  and  beware  of  covetous- 
ness:  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of 
the  things  which  he  possesseth."  —  Luke  xii.  15. 

Some  vices  are  contrary  to  and  inconsistent 
with  other  vices.  In  the  providence  of  the 
Almighty,  the  flood  of  evil  that  has  deluged  the 
earth  has  been  circumscribed  within  narrower 
limits  by  the  opposite  and  mutually  destructive 
character  of  its  main  ingredients.  There  are 
some  sins  so  incongruous  in  their  own  nature, 
that  they  cannot  nourish  together  in  the  same 
heart.  The  indulgence  of  one  shuts  a  person  out 
from  the  enjoyment  of  another.  "When  you  have 
once  chosen  your  course,  there  are  some  kindred 
lusts  that  feed  and  strengthen  each  other ;  but,  as 
to  the  choice  of  the  course,  there  are  certain  main 
lines  that  for  the  present  start  in  opposite  direc- 
tions, though  they  meet  at  last  in  death.  There 
are  two  main  paths  that  lead  to  destruction,  and 

(74) 


MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE  THAN  MONEY'S  WORTH.  75 

Satan  cannot  make  even  his  most  willing  subjects 
go  by  both.  In  avoiding  the  strait  middle  path 
that  leads  to  life,  yon  may  turn  on  the  one  side 
into  the  vices  of  dissipation,  or  on  the  other  into 
the  vices  of  covetousness  ;  but  those  who  serve  the 
same  master,  and  travel  to  the  same  end,  do  not 
keep  company  by  the  way.  The  bloated  libertine 
in  his  hannt,  and  the  precise  worldling  in  church, 
are  far  apart  from  each  other.  They  do  not  travel 
in  company.  The  two  paths  are  converging,  and 
will  meet  in  the  grave  ;  but  in  the  mean  time  they 
are  distant.  The  same  rebuke  will  not  meet  both 
the  wanderers.  TTe  must  divide  the  Word  to  cor- 
respond with  the  divided  paths  in  which  the 
destroyed  go.  It  is  true,  as  was  shown  in  the 
preceding  lecture,  that  the  vices  are,  in  their 
nature,  closely  allied :  but  it  is  equally  true  that 
the  vicious  persons  are,  in  position,  generally  kept 
far  asunder. 

In  one  audience,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  preacher 
to  level  the  most  of  his  strokes  against  the  vices 
of  dissipation ;  in  another  audience,  it  is  his  duty 
to  level  the  most  of  his  strokes  against  the  vices 
of  avarice.  If  I  were  called  to  bear  witness  for 
God  in  the  wretched  haunts  of  vulgar  vice,  I 
would  ciy  aloud,  "  A  drunkard  shall  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  ;"  but  in  this  assembly  it  is  necessary 
10 


76  MONEY   VALUED   AT    MOKE 

and  at  least  equally  seasonable  to  cry,  "  Take 
heed,  and  beware  of  covetousness."  My  object  at 
present  is  not  at  all  to  restrain  the  reckless  spend- 
thrift, or  awaken  the  drunken  rake.  These  are 
not  within  hearing.  I  come  forth  with  the  Word 
of  God  in  my  hand,  to  meet  and  arrest  some  who 
are  hastening  to  the  same  end,  while  they  do  not 
suspect  it,  because  they  are  travelling  far  apart, 
and  in  more  respectable  company.  My  design  at 
present  is  to  deal  exclusively  with  that  passion  for 
acquisition,  that  thirst  for  more,  and  effort  to 
gratify  it,  wherewith  the  old  serpent  is  fascinating 
the  multitude  from  the  upper  strata  of  society, 
and  drawing  them,  like  silly  fluttering  birds,  into 
his  very  jaws.  It  is  known  to  the  Lord  who  of 
this  assembly  have  been  ushered  into  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  makes  his  people  free,  and  who 
are  still  led  captive  by  Satan  at  his  will ;  but  of 
those  so  led  I  think  it  probable  that  a  much 
greater  number  are  led  by  a  covetous  love  of  the 
world,  than  are  led  by  a  dissipated  indulgence  in 
less  reputable  sins.  I  think,  therefore,  that  I  am 
speaking  a  word  in  season  when  I  reiterate  in 
your  ears  this  warning  from  the  lips  of  the  Lord, 
"  A  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of 
the  things  which  he  possesseth." 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  7T 

I  shall  arrange  the  exposition  of  this  text  under 
two  heads :  — 

I.  The  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  an 
individual  or  a  community  that  calls  forth  such 
a  rehuke  from  Him  who  knows  what  is  in  man. 

II.  The  meaning  and  application  of  the  rehuke 
so  called  forth. 

The  first  uncovers  the  ailment;  the  second 
administers  the  prescribed  cure. 

I.  The  ailment :  —  The  spiritual  condition  of 
men,  which  draws  doivn  this  reproof  from  the 
Lord, 

The  rehuke  recorded  in  the  text  rose  originally 
out  of  an  example  of  selfish  worldliness,  mani- 
fested in  circumstances  well  fitted  to  show  the 
grovelling  nature  of  the  passion,  and  the  power 
which  it  melds  over  its  victim.  To  the  assembled 
people,  Jesus  the  Prophet  is  presenting  God, — 
Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  (ver.  5-12):  the  Father 
as  God  over  all  (ver.  5-7) ;  the  Son  presented  to 
sinners  to  be  received  and  confessed  (ver.  8,  9) ; 
the  Spirit,  the  last  Teacher,  after  whom  there  is 
none  to  strive  with  men  (ver.  10-12).  The  Pro- 
phet paused.  Tie  had  poured  out  the  great  things 
of  the  everlasting  covenant  on  the  listening  ears 
of  needy  men,  and  you  would  expect  to  hear, 


78  MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE 

when  his  voice  had  ceased,  the  cry  of  an  anxious 
inquirer,  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  In- 
stead of  this,  a  wretched  earth-worm,  full  of  his 
gains,  and  watching  his  opportunity,  exclaimed, 
"  Master,  speak  to  my  brother,  that  he  divide  the 
inheritance  with  me."  It  was  in  reference  to  this 
inopportune  display  of  the  ruling  passion  that  the 
Lord  uttered  the  memorable  words,  "Take  heed, 
and  beware  of  covetousness."  It  is  worthy  of 
notice,  however,  that  while  he  gave  a  specific 
answer  to  the  person  who  had  made  the  request — 
"  He  said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge, 
or  a  divider,  over  you?"  (ver.  14)  —  the  instruc- 
tion suggested  by  the  display  of  this  man's  avarice 
is  addressed  to  the  whole  multitude:  "He  said 
unto  them,  Beware  of  covetousness."  We  have 
here  the  example  of  the  Lord  for  taking  a  lesson 
from  one  who  is  far  gone  in  a  specific  vice,  and 
applying  it  to  those  in  whom  it  has  not  yet  mani- 
fested itself,  —  who  may  be  only  dallying  with  its 
earliest  approaches.  On  the  authority  of  this 
example,  and  without  farther  reference  to  the 
original  case,  I  proceed  to  draw  from  similar 
displays  of  worldliness  a  similar  reproof. 

The  reproof  was  uttered  on  the  assumption  that 
a  wrong  estimate  was  prevalent  on  that  most 
momentous   question,    What    life   is,   and  how  it 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  79 

should  he  spent.  How  is  this  question  practically 
settled  in  this  community  at  the  present  day? 
What  do  men  aim  at?  what  do  they  live  for? 
what  do  they  value  on  the  one  hand,  and  despise 
on  the  other  ?  In  the  bustling  intercourse  of  this 
community,  what  class  of  interests  is  zealously 
attended  to,  and  what  class  of  interests  is  allowed 
to  go  to  the  wall  ?  If  I  describe  the  age  as  a  self- 
seeking,  money-loving  age,  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  the  description  is  applicable  to  all  without 
exception.  There  are  even  now  some  —  perhaps 
many  more  than  a  short-sighted  and  peevish 
prophet  would  be  willing  to  believe  —  who  have 
not  bowed  the  knee  to  this  Mammon-Baal.  There 
are  many  amongst  us  of  the  Lord's  servants  toil- 
ing away  as  busily  as  others  in  the  traffic  of  earth, 
but  whose  treasure  is  in  heaven,  and  whose  hearts 
are  there  too.  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are 
his.  They  are  safe  in  his  keeping  while  a  reprov- 
ing word  is  cast  indiscriminately  abroad.  I  speak 
of  a  state  of  things  that  is  common,  indisputable, 
notorious.  The  world  is  steeped  in  covetousness, 
and  the  church  is  deeply  tinged  with  the  same 
spirit.*     Perhaps  the  community  of  this  land  is 

[*  The  Scottish  Clergj^rnan  seems  willing  to  allow  us  in  the 
United  States  a  pre-eminence  in  the  sin  of  covetousness.  We 
might  say  much  in  our  defence  —  but  where  both  are  so  deep 

10* 


80  MONEY   VALUED   AT   MORE 

more  money-making,  money-loving,  than  that  of 
any  other  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  except 
the  United  States  of  America.  The  Americans 
seem  to  he  in  this  matter  very  like  ourselves. 
There  is  a  world  of  meaning  in  the  sarcastic 
proverb  which  has  gained  currency  regarding 
that  country,  that  "the  god  of  America  is  the 
almighty  dollar." 

The  precise  point  with  which  we  are  at  present 
concerned  is  this:    An   erroneous   estimate  of 

WEALTH     PERVADES     THIS     COMMUNITY.        Money    is 

valued  at  more  than  money's  worth.  This  lies 
at  the  root  of  the  evil.  The  high  esteem  in  which 
money  is  held,  gives  impetus  to  the  hard  race  with 
which  it  is  chased.     The  aim  follows  the  estimate. 

in  the  mire,  we  had  better  not  discuss  the  degrees  of  our  sin. 
We  should  like  to  know  if  the  Church  in  Scotland  —  even  the 
professed  friends  of  Christ,  are  not  a  little  more  than  "tinged" 
with  this  transgression  —  we  should  gladly  be  informed  what 
the  responsibilities  of  the  church  in  Scotland  may  be  for  the 
covetousness  of  that  country.  We  would  not  dare  to  measure 
or  to  delineate  if  we  could,  the  responsibilities  of  our  churches 
in  this  respect.  Just  imagine  for  a  moment  that  Christians, 
laying  aside  their  covetousness,  should  exhibit  to  the  world 
a  specimen  of  their  Master's  kindness  and  beneficence,  how 
would  the  hardness  of  the  world  melt  before  the  exhibition  ! 
Does  any  one  exclaim,  This  is  a  slander  on  Protestantism  ! 
We  can  but  refer  him  to  the  author  for  the  strength  of  his 
expression,  "  deeply  tinged."  Certain  it  is,  that  in  propor- 
tion as  covetousness  prevails,  love  is  absent,  and  Christianity 
falls  short.  —  C] 


THAN    MONEY'S    WORTH.  81 

"Whatever  is  in  a  community  by  common  consent 
accounted  most  valuable,  will  be  practically  fol- 
lowed with  the  greatest  eagerness.  xY  false  reckon- 
ing has  been  cast  up  as  to  where  the  chief  good 
of  a  country  lies,  and  the  mass  is  moving  on  in  a 
direction  many  points  aside  from  the  course  of 
safety.  The  public  mind  is  in  error  to  an  appal- 
ling extent  in  the  value  that  is  set  on  ffold,  and 
consequently  in  the  busy  market  of  life  men  pay 
too  much  for  it.  They  give  away  for  it  that  which 
is  far  more  precious  than  it.  One  of  the  oldest 
memories  of  my  mind  relates  to  a  case  entirely 
analogous.  The  event  lies  far  back  in  childhood 
— I  might  even  say  infancy.  The  French  prison- 
ers in  a  Government  depot  (now  the  general  prison 
at  Perth),  were  allowed  to  hold  a  kind  of  fair, 
where  they  sold  from  within  their  railings  a  variety 
of  curious  articles  of  their  own  manufacture,  to 
visitors  whom  curiosity  had  attracted  to  see  the 
strangers.  Thither  I  was  taken  one  day,  with  all 
my  money  in  my  pocket,  to  see  the  Frenchmen. 
During  a  momentary  absence  of  the  person  in 
charge,  I  set  my  heart  upon  a  rude  bit  of  wood 
daubed  with  gaudy  colors,  and  called  Napoleon. 
The  man  who  possessed  it,  seeing  me  alone, 
accosted  me,  told  me  in  broken  English  that 
nothing    could    be    more    suitable   for   me,    and 


82  MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE 

offered  to  sell  it:  at  once  I  gave  liim  all  tlie 
money  I  possessed,  and  carried  off  my  prize. 
Search  was  made  for  the  man  who  had  cheated 
me,  but  he  had  disappeared  behind  his  comrades, 
and  we  never  saw  him  more.  I  was  obliged  to 
return  home  with  a  sad  heart,  and  an  empty 
hand,  destitute  of  sundry  usefnl  articles  which  I 
had  been  led  to  expect,  and  which  my  pence 
would  have  purchased,  if  they  had  been  rightly 
laid  out.  I  distinctly  remember  yet  the  deep 
melancholy  that  came  over  my  spirit,  as  the 
reality  came  home  to  me  that  the  money  was 
gone,  and  that  there  was  no  remedy. 

It  is  lawful  to  obtain  a  lesson  by  comparing 
great  things  with  small.  Men  are  like  silly  chil- 
dren in  the  market-place  of  life.  They  are  taken 
by  the  glitter  of  a  worthless  toy.  They  buy  it. 
They  give  their  all  for  it.  If  you  give  your  time, 
your  hands,  your  skill,  your  heart  for  wealth,  you 
are  taken  in.  Even  the  wealth  you  have  obtained 
cannot  be  kept.  Death  will  make  the  veriest 
miser  disgorge  his  gains,  if  some  minor  disaster 
do  not  strip  him  before  the  last  enemy  appear. 
It  is  the  foolish  estimate  of  wealth  that  ruins  us. 
We  are  surrounded  by  sharpers  that  prey  upon 
our  ignorance.  If  we  could  really  learn  the 
worthlessness  of  the  glittering  thing  that  they 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  83 

expose  to  dazzle  us,  we  would  be  safe  in  the 
midst  of  the  throng.  This  habit  of  accounting 
money  the  principal  thing,  a  habit  caught  up  in 
childhood  from  the  prevailing  tone  in  society, 
and  strengthened  by  the  example  of  those  whom 
the  world  honors  —  it  is  this  that  lays  bare  our 
defences,  and  makes  us  an  easy  prey  to  the 
destroyer. 

Those  who  have  money  usually  plume  them- 
selves upon  the  possession  of  it,  without  reference 
to  any  other  claim  on  the  respect  of  mankind. 
Simply  in  virtue  of  their  gold,  they  take  a  high 
place,  assume  an  important  air,  and  expect  the 
homage  of  the  multitude.  A  rich  man  is  often 
found  expecting  deference  on  account  of  his  riches, 
whether  he  has  inherited  them  from  his  ancestors, 
or  acquired  them  by  his  own  industry.  The  only 
difference  seems  to  be,  that  he  who  has  no  merit 
of  any  kind  in  acquiring  the  possessions,  holds 
his  head  still  more  high  than  the  man  who  has 
amassed  an  equal  amount  by  his  own  exertions. 
A  rich  man  will  despise  a  poor  man,  though  the 
poor  man  inherits  a  nobler  genius,  and  leads  a 
better  life.  But  it  were  a  small  matter  what  the 
rich  man  might  think  of  himself.  The  only  ques- 
tion of  importance  to  our  present  purpose  is,  in 
what  estimation  is  he  held  by  the  community  ?   If 


84  MONEY   VALUED   AT   MORE 

his  claim  to  superiority  on  the  ground  of  what  is 
no  personal  qualification  at  all,  were  ridiculed  by 
the  unanimous  voice  of  a  discerning  public,  the 
claim  might  stamp  himself  a  fool,  but  would  leave 
no  imputation  on  the  sagacity  of  his  neighbors. 
Here,  however,  the  state  of  the  facts  will  afford 
us  no  consolation.  The  claim  made  might  expose 
the  folly  of  a  few ;  but  the  claim  conceded  fastens 
folly  down  as  a  general  characteristic  of  the  com- 
munity. Every  section  of  the  population  may  be 
conceived  as  consisting  of  the  rich  man,  and  his 
neighbors  who  are  not  rich.  He  looks  down  upon 
them.  That  is  a  small  matter.  It  would  not  bode 
much  harm  to  the  commonwealth  if  it  stood  alone. 
A  more  ominous  circumstance  is,  they  lock  up  to 
him.  The  people  look  up  to  the  rich  with  a  great 
variety  of  feelings  indeed :  some  with  ignorant, 
undefined  awe ;  some  with  unmanly  adulation ; 
some  with  a  cunning,  cringing  selfishness ;  some 
with  ambitious  emulation  ;  some  with  discontented 
envy ;  a  great  specific  variety  there  is  in  the  feel- 
ings wherewith  the  rich  man  is  regarded,  but  gene- 
rically  they  are  all  the  same — they  are  a  looking -up 
to  the  rich  man  on  account  of  his  riches.  How 
few  there  arc  who  will  measure  the  man  by  his 
soul  —  who  will  neither  fawn  upon  wealth,  nor 
envy  it — who  on  account  of  it  will  neither  set  its 


THAN  money's  worth.  85 

possessor  up  nor  down — who,  in  judging  of  his 
character,  will  ignore  altogether  the  accident  of 
his  weath,  and  award  the  honour  which  is  due  to 
the  man,  according  as  he  fears  God  and  does  good 
to  his  brethren ! 

I  repeat  it ;  there  is  a  most  diseased  overgrowth 
in  the  estimate  of  riches,  in  the  minds  both  of 
those  who  have,  and  of  those  who  want  them. 
If  a  man  with  a  gold  ring  and  goodly  apparel 
come  into  our  Sabbath  assembly,  we  do  not  then 
and  there  single  him  out  in  any  very  remarkable 
way  to  set  him  in  a  good  place.  Perhaps  T  might 
say  —  for  there  is  no  profit  in  giving  overcharged 
pictures  even  of  our  own  vices — that  an  aged  reve- 
rent worshipper,  who  in  evident  poverty  should 
enter  one  of  our  Christian  congregations,  would 
have  more  deference  paid  to  him  than  one  who 
was  distinguished  only  by  his  riches.  So  far,  well. 
It  shows  the  power  of  God's  Word,  and  the  effect 
of  bringing  men  near  the  All-seeing.  In  God's 
presence,  where  airy  sense  of  it  is  realized,  men 
dare  not  manifest  so  much  respect  of  persons.  But 
this  estimate,  acted  on  in  the  courts  of  the  Lord's 
house,  is  forgotten  in  the  world.  There,  money 
carries  the  day.  Some  wrould  permit  a  poor  saint 
to  sit  beside  them  at  the  Lord's  table,  who  would 
not  permit  that  poor  saint  to  sit  beside  them  at 


8b  MONEY   VALUED   AT    MORE 

their  own.  Nay,  more,  there  are  many,  not  them- 
selves given  to  vice,  who  will  admit  vicious  men 
into  their  houses  and  tables  for  the  sake  of  their 
riches.  Parents  will  cherish  in  their  families,  and 
honor  before  their  children,  a  profane  rich  man, 
a  Sabbath-breaking  rich  man,  a  drunken  rich 
man,  a  licentious  rich  man.  In  the  practical 
estimation  of  this  community,  riches  cover  a  mul- 
titude of  sins. 

I  was  much  interested  in  observing  a  compara- 
tively healthy  moral  tone  in  some  of  the  news- 
papers on  this  very  subject,  in  connection  with  a 
case  that  obtained  great  notoriety  in  England  not 
long  ago.  A  person  had  amassed  large  sums  of 
money  by  dishonorable  practices.  When  his  dis- 
honesty was  discovered,  a  very  great  cry  of  exe- 
cration was  raised  against  him  by  the  thousands 
of  disappointed  speculators  whom  he  had  duped. 
At  that  crisis,  a  portion  of  the  public  press,  with- 
out attempting  to  disguise  the  shame  of  the  cul- 
prit, turned  round  upon  the  sufferers  with  the 
merited  rebuke,  that  the  man,  as  long  as  he  was 
accounted  rich,  was  nattered  by  all  classes  with 
an  adulation  the  most  disgusting, — and  all  for  his 
wealth  alone,  inasmuch  as  his  admirers  could  not 
point  to  any  noble  quality  of  his  soul,  or  any 
noble  deed  of  his  life.     They  did  not  begin  to 


THAN   MONEY'S    WORTH.  87 

bespatter  their  idol  until  themselves  and  he  had 
fallen  together  in  the  mire. 

Although  a  beam  fixed  in  the  bottom  protrude 
above  the  surface  of  a  still  lake,  there  is  no  com- 
motion of  the  water  around  it ;  but  if  such  a  beam 
is  fixed  in  the  bed  of  a  running  stream,  it  pro- 
duces an  agitation  proportioned  to  the  velocity  of 
the  current.  The  practical  estimate  of  money, 
above  all  other  things,  is  like  a  tide  that  is  rush- 
ing over  this  land.  Young  and  old  are  borne 
along  by  it.  A  generous  sacrifice  for  truth  and 
for  God,  here  and  there  emerging  from  the  stream, 
becomes  a  world's  wonder.  If  a  man,  after  he 
becomes  prosperous,  pays  his  debts,  when  not 
under  the  compulsion  of  law,  the  deed  is  chroni- 
cled in  every  newspaper,  and  applauded  as  a  hero- 
ism more  than  could  have  been  expected  of 
humanity.  At  the  Disruption  of  the  Scottish 
Church,  it  is  well  known  that  politicians  thought 
they  might  lay  as  much  pressure  on  the  ministers 
as  would  keep  them  quiet  for  many  years,  without 
any  danger  of  driving  them  off,  seeing  they  were 
fastened  to  the  Establishment  by  a  money-bond 
of  some  two  or  three  hundred  a-year.  The  min- 
isters of  state  gave  them  too  little  credit  for  self- 
sacrificing  righteousness  before  the  event ;  and 
after  it,  some  portions  of  the  public  perhaps  gave 
11 


88  MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE 

them  too  much.  All  these  extremes  are  due  to 
that  inordinate  estimate  of  money,  which  has,  in  a 
great  measure,  become  the  habit  of  the  national 
mind.  The  very  commotion  produced  by  a  reso- 
lute stand  for  truth,  shows  that  the  mass  of  the 
community  are  gliding  down  the  course  of  the 
world.  Oh,  if  men  would  learn  to  weigh  it  in 
the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  to  see  it  in  the  light 
of  eternity  ;  if  we  could  get  now  impressed  on  our 
minds  the  estimate  of  money  which  we  will  all 
have  soon,  it  would  not  be  allowed  to  exercise  so 
much  effect  in  our  lives ;  it  would  not  be  allowed, 
like  a  mighty  magnet,  to  shape  the  course  of  the 
young  at  the  opening  of  life's  voyage — would  not 
be  felt  like  a  huge  millstone  tied  round  the  neck, 
dragging  down  the  aged  to  the  depths  of  perdition 
at  its  close  ! 

II.  The  warning  which  such  a  moral  condition 
drew  forth  from  the  Lord,  and  the  reason  by  which 
it  is  enforced :  "  Take  heed  and  beware  of  covet- 
ousness,  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth." 
The  best  method  of  applying  the  caution  will  be 
to  expound  the  specific  ground  on  which  it  is  here 
made  to  rest.  There  are  three  different  senses  in 
which   "a  man's  life"  may  be  understood,  all  of 


THAN    MONEY'S   WORTH.  89 

tliem  obvious,  and  each  charged  with  a  distinct 
practical  lesson. 

1.  Life  in  its  literal  and  natural  sense — the  life 
of  the  body — does  not  consist  in  the  "  abundance  " 
of  the  things  which  one  may  possess.  The  life  is 
in  no  degree  dependent  on  the  "surplus"  over 
and  above  the  supply  of  nature's  wants.  A  very 
small  portion  of  the  fruit  of  the  earth  suffices  to 
supply  a  man's  necessities.  The  main  elements 
are,  a  little  food  to  appease  hunger,  and  some 
clothing  to  ward  off  the  cold.  These,  as  a  general 
rule,  the  poor  man  obtains,  and  what  more  can 
the  rich  man  consume  ?  In  this  matter,  God  has 
brought  the  rich  and  the  poor  very  near  to  each 
other  in  life,  and  at  death  the  slight  difference  that 
did  exist  will  be  altogether  done  away.  As  a 
general  rule,  it  may  be  safely  affirmed  that  the 
life  of  the  rich  is  as  much  endangered  by  the  lux- 
uries of  their  abundance,  as  that  of  the  poor  by 
the  meanness  of  their  food.  The  life  of  a  laboring 
man,  as  such,  seems  to  be  as  secure  as  the  life  of 
a  noble.  The  air  and  exercise  connected  with  his 
labor  go  as  far  to  preserve  his  health  as  the  shelter 
and  ease  which  the  rich  man  enjoys.  Looking 
simply  to  life  —  mere  animal  being  and  wellbeing 
—  we  are  justified  in  affirming  that  abundance, 
or  overplus  of  goods,  is  no  advantage  to  it.    This 


90  MONEY  VALUED  AT  MORE 

is  a  wise  arrangement  of  our  Father  in  heaven. 
He  is  kind  to  the  poor.  He  has  protected  them 
by  laws  that  men  cannot  touch  —  laws  imbedded 
in  the  very  constitution  of  the  universe.  In  this 
view  of  the  case,  it  is  not  consonant  with  right 
reason  to  make  the  acquisition  of  wealth  the  main 
object  of  desire  and  effort.  Having  food  and  rai- 
ment, let  us  therewith  be  content,  is  the  truest 
philosophy  as  well  as  the  soundest  religion.  If 
our  desires  as  to  this  world's  goods  were  limited 
to  things  necessary,  we  would  escape  from  many 
of  the  cares  that  crush  us.  A  great  amount  of 
time  and  energy  now  wasted  on  things  not  need- 
ful, might  be  reserved  for  outlay  in  a  more  pro- 
mising field  —  used  so  as  to  make  life  more  sweet 
on  earth,  with  the  reversion  of  an  inheritance  that 
will  not  fade  away. 

2.  "A  man's  life"  may  be  considered  as  the 
proper  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  a  rational,  spi- 
ritual, immortal  being — that  use  of  life  which  the 
all- wise  Creator  manifestly  contemplated  when  he 
arranged  the  complex  constitution  of  man.  Hith- 
erto we  have  been  speaking  of  animal  life  merely, 
common  to  us  with  the  lower  orders  of  creatures ; 
now  we  Bpeak  of  such  a  life  as  becomes  a  creature 
made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  capable  of  enjoy- 
ing him  for  ever.    A  mans  life,  not  a  beast's;  the 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  91 

life  that  becomes  his  faculties,  his  place,  and  his 
destinies. 

To  this  life,  how  very  little  is  contributed  by 
the  surplus  of  possessions  over  and  above  what 
nature  needs !  Indeed,  that  smplus  more  fre- 
quently hinders  than  helps  the  highest  enjoyment 
of  man's  life.  The  parable  wdiich  immediately 
follows  the  text  bears,  and  was  intended  to  bear, 
directly  on  this  subject.  Besides  the  folly  of  the 
rich  man,  in  view  of  death  and  eternity,  he  made 
a  capital  mistake  even  in  regard  to  his  life  in  this 
world,  when  he  said  to  his  soul,  "  Soul,  thou  hast 
much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  take  thine 
ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  Foolish  man  — 
and  there  are  many  such  fools  amongst  us  —  corn 
laid  up  in  a  barn,  or  money  deposited  in  a  bank, 
is  not  proper  food  for  a  soul.  A  very  small  quan- 
tity of  the  corn  will  satisfy  the  body's  wants ;  but 
the  superabundance  of  it — the  remainder  which 
the  body  did  not  need — the  man  proposed  to  feast 
his  soul  upon  that.  Alas  !  the  more  of  such  food 
that  is  presented  to  a  soul,  the  more  of  an  aching 
craving  void  that  soul  feels.  ~No  man,  who  has 
accumulated  great  wealth,  enjoys  more  the  wealth 
accumulated  than  he  did  the  small  competency 
which  he  possessed  at  first.  The  increase  of  riches 
does  not  increase  a  soul's  enjoyment.  Some  who 
11* 


92  MONEY   VALUED   AT   MORE 

have  wealth  are  happy.  Some  very  rich  men 
enjoy,  in  its  true  sense,  a  "man's  life,"  but  their 
life  does  not  consist  in  the  superabundance  of 
their  wealth.  They  live  in  spite  of  it,  not  by 
means  of  it.  It  is  a  positive  law  of  nature,  im- 
pressed on  the  constitution  of  things  by  an  omnis- 
cient Lord,  that  surplus  of  wealth  does  not  increase 
the  right  use  and  real  enjoyment  of  life  by  rational 
and  accountable  beings.  In  proportion  as  a  rich 
man  is  indiiferent  to  his  wealth,  his  enjoyment  of 
life  does  not  spring  from  it,  but  from  other  sources. 
In  proportion  as  his  heart  is  given  to  his  wealth, 
his  enjoyment  of  life  decreases.  It  is  a  law  —  a 
law  of  God  which  misers  feel — that,  if  a  man  loves 
money,  then  the  more  money  he  gets,  the  less  he 
enjoys  it. 

3.  Life  in  the  highest  sense,  the  life  of  the  soul, 
obviously  does  not  depend  in  any  degree  on  the 
abundance  of  earthly  possessions.  The  whole 
world  gained  cannot  prevent  the  loss  of  the  soul. 

There  are  two  things  brought  into  comparison 
and  competition  here — "life,"  and  "abundance" 
of  possessions.  These  are  rival  objects,  each  dis- 
playing its  own  attractions  to  win  hearts  to  itself. 
The  one  looks  forth  invitingly  from  the  folds  of 
divine  revelation ;  the  other  cries  aloud  in  the 
market-place.     On  one  side,  the  voice  of  the  Ke- 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  93 

deemer  pleads,  "Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  waters.  Incline  your  ear  and  come  unto 
me ;  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live." — (Isa.  Iv.  1-3.) 
On  the  other  side,  Mammon  displays  his  coin,  and 
whisper^,  that  a  diligent  votary  may  he  "worth  " 
many  thousands  before  he  die. 

Consider  the  first  object,  a  mans  life.  It  is  the 
life  of  the  dead  in  sin,  the  life  by  regeneration,  the 
life  quickened  by  the  Spirit  and  sustained  in 
Christ,  the  life  which,  being  hid  with  Christ  in 
God,  shall  never  die.  This  is  a  great  thing  for  a 
man.  It  is  greater  than  all  others.  It  is  the  one 
thing  needful.  What  other  thing  is  that  over 
against  it  which  so  many  are  compassing  about 
with  painful,  panting  looks  ?  A  fortune !  an 
abundance  of  possession  !  Hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord ;  that  abundance  is  not  your  life.  It  is  not 
so  needful  as  your  life.  If  you  take  it  too  near 
your  heart,  it  wTill  quench  your  life. 

Ye  cannot  serve  two  masters.  Expressly,  ye 
cannot  serve  these  two,  God  and  Mammon.  If 
you  strive  to  serve  both,  you  will  please  neither. 
A  double-minded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his  ways. 
I  speak  not  against  a  legitimate  industry.  Dili- 
gence in  business  is  a  Christian  duty.  But  the 
Lord  knoweth  the  heart,  and  he  knows  when  the 
love  of  money  becomes  the  controlling  power. 


94  MONEY   VALUED   AT   MORE 

"We  may  not  serve  money;  but  money  may  be 
made  to  serve  us,  and  to  serve  God  through  our 
means.  Money,  like  fire,  is  a  good  servant,  but 
a  bad  master.  It  is  this  surplus,  this  superabund- 
ance, that  is  the  dangerous  thing.  When  it  is 
sought  as  if  it  were  life  to  a  soul,  it  becomes  to 
that  soul  death.  If  you  have  life  from  the  Lord 
—  life  in  the  Lord,  it  will  not  cost  you  a  pang  to 
let  all  the  abundance  go. 

"When  a  man  falls  into  deep  water,  he  could 
easily  preserve  his  life  if  he  would  permit  his 
whole  body  to  lie  beneath  the  surface,  except  so 
much  of  his  mouth  and  nostrils  as  is  necessary 
for  the  admission  of  air.  It  is  the  instinctive,  but 
unwise,  effort  to  raise  portions  of  the  body  above 
the  water,  that  sinks  the  whole  beneath  it.  It 
is  the  weight  of  that  portion  which  has  been, 
by  a  convulsive  effort,  unnecessarily  raised,  that 
presses  down  the  body,  and  drowns  the  man.  It 
is  by  a  similar  law  in  the  province  of  morals  that 
avarice  destroys  the  life  of  the  soul.  The  whole 
amount  of  money  that  a  man  obtains  for  the  pur- 
pose of  using,  and  actually  does  legitimately  use, 
does  no  harm  to  the  interests  of  his  soul.  It  may 
be  great,  or  it  may  be  small,  while  it  is  kept 
beneath  the  surface,  so  to  speak  —  kept  as  a  ser- 
vant,  and  used  as  an  instrument  for  legitimate 


THAN   MONEY'S   WORTH.  95 

objects  —  it  is  as  to  spiritual  matters  indifferent. 
So  far  as  money  is  concerned,  the  man  is  in  equi- 
librium, and  his  spiritual  character  will  depend 
on  other  influences.  But  when  some  portion  is 
raised  above  the  line  —  when  it  is  taken  from  a 
servant's  place,  and  raised  to  that  of  a  master  — 
when  a  surplus  is  sought,  not  for  use,  but  for  its 
own  sake  —  wheu  the  love  of  money  begins  — 
when  it  is  set  up  by  the  man  above  himself,  as  an 
object  of  his  affection  —  then  that  surplus,  wThether 
great  or  small,  presses  down  the  soul,  and  the 
man  sinks  in  spiritual  death.  It  is  this  lust  that 
"drowns  men  in  perdition."  —  (1  Tim.  vi.  11.) 


LECTURE  IV. 

FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS —  DISHONESTY. 

"  We  have  brought  nothing  into  this  world,  and  it  is  certain 
that  we  can  carry  nothing  out.  And  having  food  and 
raiment,  let  us  be  therewith  content.  But  they  that  will 
be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare,  and  into  many 
foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown  men  in  destruction 
and  perdition.  For  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all 
evil ;  which  while  some  coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from 
the  faith,  and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sor- 
rows. But  thou,  0  man  of  God,  flee  these  things  ;  and 
follow  after  righteousness,  godliness,  faith,  love,  patience, 
meekness."  —  1  Tim.  vi.  7-11. 

Regarding  covetousness,  or  the  love  of  money, 
we  have  already  pointed  out  (II.)  its  company  and 
its  character,  and  (III.)  its  prevalence  and  its  worth- 
lessness.  We  return  to  it  for  the  purpose  of 
pointing  out  some  of  the  disastrous  consequences 
to  which  it  leads  —  the  bitter  fruits  which  it 
bears.  Of  these,  we  select  as  the  subject  of  the 
present  lecture,  Dishonesty.  The  apostle,  in  the 
same  breath  that  he  enjoins  a  man  to  flee  from 
covetousness,  also  enjoins  him  to  follow  righte- 
ousness. 

(90) 


FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSXESS —  DISHONESTY.         97 

Surely  if  the  Word  of  truth  is  to  be  rightly 
divided,  warnings  on  this  head  must  occupy  a 
large  place  in  such  a  city  as  this,  and  in  such  a 
time.  In  this  vast  workshop  and  market-place 
for  the  world,  surely  a  man  who  desires  to  live  so 
as  to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  would  need  to 
look  well  to  his  ways  in  the  matter  of  upright 
dealing.  You  are  required  to  have  a  single  eye, 
to  have  truth  in  the  inward  parts,  to  do  to  others 
as  you  would  have  others  do  to  you.  You  are 
required  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk 
humbly  with  your  God.  And  all  this,  while  you 
mingle  in  that  motley  throng,  and  jostle  to  keep 
your  own  place  in  the  impetuous  race  of  life.  In 
such  circumstances,  men  need  plain  words  about 
being  honest  in  all  their  transactions.  Can  a  man 
take  fire  into  his  bosom  and  not  be  burned? 
Perhaps  he  may ;  but  it  will  be  by  dint  of  intense 
watchfulness,  and  unwearied  care.  There  must 
be  both  prayer  and  pains,  if  a  man  is  to  come  out 
of  these  intricate  bargainings,  every  evening,  with 
clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart. 

I  shall  first  trace  from  the  text  the  path  by  which 
covetousness  leads  to  dishonesty;  and,  secondly, 
point  out,  with  reference  to  our  own  circum- 
stances, the  dishonesty  to  which  it  leads. 

I.   The  path  by  which  covetousness  leads  to  dis- 


98  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

honesty  is  marked  off  step  by  step  by  the  apostle 
in  the  text. 

The  deliverance  given  by  Panl  in  this  passage 
of  Scripture  regarding  the  love  of  money  is  very 
instructive,  and  withal  very  consolatory  to  Chris- 
tians. When  the  mountains  are  removed,  we 
must  seek  a  yet  more  secure  foundation.  "When 
they  are  cast  into  the  sea,  God  is  our  refuge.  In 
the  shakings  of  these  times,  we  must  flee  as  a 
bird  to  our  mountain.  We  run  to  the  Word. 
We  take  up  a  plain,  pregnant  portion  of  the 
Scripture,  convinced  that  this  community  need  it 
much  —  that  this  community  neglect  it  much. 
WTien  men's  hearts  are  failing  them  for  fear  — 
when  it  appears  as  if  soon  mercantile  faith  will 
no  longer  be  found  on  the  earth  —  they  may  be 
the  rather  inclined  to  hear  what  the  Lord  has 
said.  The  confusion,  and  distrust,  and  dismay 
that  have  of  late  been  experienced  in  this  com- 
mercial community,  are  well  fitted  to  open  this 
Word  to  our  understandings,  and  bear  it  down 
upon  our  hearts.  The  steps  by  which  those  turn 
aside  who  love  the  present  world  are  the  follow- 
ing :  — 

1.  They  "will  be  rich,"  (v.  9.)  A  class  of 
persons  are  here  characterised.  They  are  de- 
scribed by  the  leading  aim  of  their  lives.     It  is 


DISHONESTY.  99 

not  said  what  their  religious  profession  was. 
Perhaps  their  belief  was  orthodox,  and  their  zeal 
warm.  All  that  we  learn  about  them  is,  that  in 
God's  si°dit  monev  was  their  "chief  end."  This 
is  not  a  right  —  not  a  safe  aim  for  an  immortal 
being.  Perhaps  if  these  people  had  been  asked, 
What  is  the  chief  end  of  man  ?  they  would  have 
given  in  substance  the  answer,  "  To  glorify  God, 
and  enjoy  him  for  ever."  If  they  had  been  left 
to  describe  themselves,  with  reference  to  their 
mercantile  pursuits,  they  would  probably  have 
written  "industrious,"  or  perhaps  "enterprising;" 
but  lie  who  knows  what  is  in  man  —  who  reads 
off  the  character  from  the  inner  workings  of  the 
soul  —  has  written  them  down  as  persons  who 
are  "bent  upon  being  rich."  Their  Judge  knows 
that  a  determination  to  be  rich  is  the  passion  that 
rules  them  —  that  an  effort  to  get  money  is  the 
labor  of  their  life. 

2.  They  "fall,  into  temptation."  The  word 
conveys  the  idea  of  an  unexpected  fall  —  a  stum- 
ble into  a  pit  which  you  did  not  expect  to  be 
there.  You  may  have  seen  a  man  walking  in 
one  direction  and  looking  in  another,  not  directly 
opposite,  but  to  one  side.  When  he  comes  to  a 
pit,  he  stumbles  and  falls.  Had  he  been  looking 
in  the  same  direction  in  which  he  was  walking, 


100  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

he  would  probably  have  escaped  the  pit.  It  is 
thus  with  the  fall  of  which  we  are  speaking.  If 
the  real  movement  of  a  man's  life  be  toward 
money,  while  he  diligently  keeps  his  face  turned 
round  to  maintain  the  appearance  of  being  a 
Christian,  he  will  certainly  fall  into  every  pit  that 
lies  in  his  way.  The  motion,  too,  is  uneasy. 
Those  who  set  out  in  pursuit  of  riches,  making 
no  other  profession,  get  on  more  smoothly.  They 
go  in  the  same  direction  that  they  appear  to  be 
going  in  ;  but  it  is  a  painful,  twisting  movement, 
that  of  the  man  whose  heart  is  set  on  a  portion 
which  his  profession  binds  him  to  renounce. 

3.  They  fall  into  temptation.  A  man  does  not 
all  at  once  go  into  vicious  practices.  He  glides, 
before  he  is  aware,  into  a  position  where  he  is 
exposed  to  the  pressure  of  a  strong  temptation. 
It  is  a  great  misfortune  when  a  man  finds  himself 
in  a  situation  where  inducements  to  evil-doins;  are 
brought  to  bear  upon  him  —  a  situation  in  which, 
if  he  maintain  his  integrity,  it  is  by  resisting  a 
current  that  sets  strongly  in  from  an  opposite 
direction.  A  man  should  not  rashly  go  into  such 
a  place.  We  have  not  yet  reached  the  question 
of  doing  unjustly  ;  we  are  dealing  with  a  previous 
question  of  great  importance,  whether  a  man  is 
justified  in  assuming  a  position  where  it  will  bo 


DISHONESTY.  101 

very  hard  to  keep  his  conscience  clear?  Those 
who  have  rightly  measured  their  own  strength, 
will  avoid  persons  and  places  that  put  it  to  a 
severe  test.  He  that  trusteth  to  his  own  heart  is 
a  fool. 

4.  A  snare  marks  another  stage  of  this  down- 
ward progress.  The  man  who  has  thoughtlessly 
or  in  foolhardiness  placed  himself  in  the  way  of 
temptation,  is  soon  surrounded  —  the  meshes  of  a 
net  compass  him  about.  He  got  easily  in,  hut  he 
finds  it  impossible  to  get  out  again.  At  first  it 
was  merely  a  place  of  temptation.  Here  is  an 
opening  —  here  is  an  opportunity  of  quietly  real- 
izing a  large  sum.  He  determines  to  make  a 
trial.  His  own  means  are  inadequate.  The  pro- 
perty of  others  is  within  his  reach,  perhaps  under 
his  charge ;  hut  he  knows  that  the  owners  would 
not  he  willing  to  run  the  risk.  He  therefore  risks 
it  without  consulting  them,  feeling  sure  that  he 
will  be  able  to  replace  it,  after  securing  a  large 
profit  to  himself.  He  throws  for  a  glittering 
prize.  He  is  beyond  the  temptation  now.  He  is 
fast  in  the  snare.  His  project  tails.  He  discovers 
that  he  has  lost  his  all,  and  more.  He  fears  expo- 
sure. He  will  try  again  to  recover  himself;  but 
more  desperate  measures  are  necessary  now.  He 
will  do  a  deed  now  that  he  would  have  shuddered 
9* 


102  THE   FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

at  when  lie  began.  He  has  recourse  to  a  false 
entry,  a  forgery,  or  some  other  of  the  thousand 
tricks  that  the  wit  of  hard-pressed  men  has 
invented,  and  the  complicated  forms  of  business 
has  served  to  conceal.  Behold  the  desperate, 
helpless  fluttering  of  the  bird  in  the  snare  of 
the  fowler  —  dashing  itself  on  the  sides  of  an 
iron  cage ! 

5.  The  next  step  is  "into  many  foolish  and  hurt- 
ful lusts."  These  raging  lusts  are,  as  it  were, 
watching,  ready  to  fasten  on  their  victim  as  soon 
as  they  see  him  in  the  toils  of  the  net.  You  may 
have  observed  that  a  man  whose  pecuniary  affairs 
are  in  a  desperate  position,  is  peculiarly  liable  to 
fall  into  meaner  vices.  How  frequently  do  the 
agonies  and  embarrassments  that  precede  a  shame- 
ful disclosure  precipitate  a  man  into  the  abyss  of 
secret  drunkenness  !  I  believe  that  the  hopeless 
struggle  to  recover  one's  pecuniary  position  after 
it  is  past  recovery,  is  one  of  the  most  common 
causes  of  a  sudden  plunge  into  intemperance  and 
kindred  sins.  The  devil  devours  his  victim  more 
easily  after  the  victim  has  fallen  into  the  snare. 
Resistance  is  feeble  where  the  footing  of  the 
combatant,  undermined  by  despair,  is  crumbling 
away. 

These  lusts  that  covetousncss  leads  to  are  "  fool- 


DISHONESTY.  103 

ish  and  hurtful ;"  they  pretend  to  cure,  but  they 
only  deepen  the  wound.  They  apply  a  balsam 
that  soothes  the  sore  for  a  moment,  but  fixes 
disease  more  firmly  in  the  flesh.  I  shall  not 
trace  this  progress  farther.  For  our  present  pur- 
pose, enough  has  been  said  regarding  the  course 
that  leads  to  dishonesty.  "We  turn  now  to  dis- 
honesty itself. 

H.  The  dishonesty  to  which  covetousness  leads. 
"  Flee  these  things,  but  follow  after  righteous- 
ness."  The  vices  that  the  love  of  money  lands 
in  are  not  named  at  length.  In  general,  they  are 
said  to  be  foolish  and  hurtful.  But  the  opposite 
graces  are  individually  specified.  Paul  bids  us 
turn  our  backs  on  these  abominable  things,  and 
set  our  faces  toward  righteousness,  godliness, 
faith,  love,  patience,  meekness.  As  if  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word,  he  felt  his  back  turned  upon 
injustice,  ungodliness,  unbelief,  hate,  impatience, 
pride.  As  if  he  did  not  see  these,  he  does  not 
name  them,  but  names  instead  the  beauteous 
array  that  stretched  away  before  him,  and  which 
he  counsels  us  to  follow. 

The  first  on  the  list  is  righteousness.    Of  course, 

the  opposite  vice  to  which  covetousness  tends, 

and   against  which   his  warning   is   directed,   is 

injustice.     These  virtues  and  vices  are  here  intro- 

12  * 


104  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

duced,  not  in  the  abstract,  but  in  relation  to  the 
pursuit  of  wealth.  The  vice  to  which  the  injunc- 
tion applies,  is  that  injustice  which  is  incident  to 
excessive  efforts  to  acquire  riches.  The  odious 
thing  from  which  Christians  are  commanded  to 
flee,  is  dishonest  dealing  in  the  process  of  making 
money.  Righteousness  is  required  in  all  our 
transactions — righteousness,  not  according  to  the 
conventional  rules  of  society,  which  shift  like  the 
sand,  but  according  to  the  immutable  standard 
of  the  divine  law.  The  righteous  Lord  loveth 
righteousness. 

This  command  obviously  implies  that  men  in 
business,  whether  their  effort  for  the  time  be 
to  enlarge  the  treasure  already  possessed,  or  to 
weather  a  point  ahead  which  threatens  the  ruin 
of  their  fortunes,  are  exposed  to  the  temptation 
of  dealing  unjustly.  I  call  upon  you  in  God's 
name,  and  out  of  his  Word,  to  watch  and  pray 
that  ye  enter  not  into  this  temptation.  Do  you 
feel  as  if  I  were  stepping  beyond  my  province, 
and  conjuring  into  existence  the  enemy  whom  I 
propose  to  smite,  when  I  call  upon  you  to  beware 
of  dishonest  dealing  ?  Do  your  hearts  swell  into 
resentment,  as  if  this  were  a  warning  suited  to 
another  place,  and  another  company  ?  Nay, 
brethren:    Let  him   that  thinketh   he   standeth 


DISHONESTY.  105 

take  heed  lest  lie  fall.  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that 
he  should  do  this  thing  ?  Yes,  he  is :  and  that 
thing  he  will  do,  the  very  first  time  that  a  tempta- 
tion occurs,  if  he  has  nothing  to  fall  back  upon 
but  a  bristling  pride,  that  snarls  at  a  warning  as 
if  it  were  an  insult.  Honorable  merchants  !  And 
do  you  presume  to  give  them  a  warning,  which  is 
as  much  as  to  say  to  their  face,  "  See  that  ye  do 
not  cheat  your  customers?"  Yes,  I  do;  and  I 
tell  the  most  honored  and  most  honorable  anion e? 
them  to  take  it  to  himself,  for  he  needs  it.  If 
you  have  nothing  but  your  honor  and  integrity, 
your  high  place  and  high  mind,  to  lean  upon, 
your  foundation  is  in  the  dust.  How  many  are 
at  this  day  put  to  shame  for  detected  dishonesty, 
who  once  would  have  resented  the  supposition  of 
it  as  keenly  and  as  sincerely  as  you !  I  do  not 
know  your  hearts  :  and  what  is  more,  you  do  not 
know  them  yourselves.  One  who  does  know 
them,  however,  testifies  that  they  are  deceitful 
above  all  things.  Manifest  it  is  that  Paul  would 
not  have  stood  upon  ceremony,  and  softened  his 
words  because  he  had  men  of  honor  to  deal  with. 
He  did  not  hesitate  to  counsel  Timothy  in  this 
manner,  a  man  that  had  known  the  Scriptures 
from  his  youth ;  how  much  more  would  he  have 
spoken  out  here  against  the  unrighteousness  that 


106  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

mingles  with  the  making  of  money,  where,  for 
the  most  part,  the  ledgers  are  more  accurately 
known  than  the  Scriptures,  and  far  more  deeply 
indented  on  the  hearts  !  Under  these  counsels  of 
the  Bible,  the  face  to  the  ground  is  our  becoming 
attitude ;  "Lord,  is  it  I?"  our  becoming  prayer. 
There  are  many  kinds  of  dishonesty  in  trade 
that  cannot  conveniently  be  specified  here.  In- 
deed, there  are  many  depths  of  Satan  in  these 
matters  that  I  do  not  know.  There  is,  however, 
the  less  need  to  go  into  the  cunning  mysteries  of 
unlawful  trade,  because  we  have  a  rule  from  the 
Lord  that  will  reach  them  all :  "  Whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even 
so  to  them."  —  (Matt.  vii.  12.)  What  a  word  is 
this  !  *  Where  is  the  exceptional  case  or  qualify- 
ing circumstance  that  can  elude  the  grasp  of  that 
all-comprehending  rule  ?  It  is  a  mighty  engine 
fitted  to  seize  and  crush  the  most  gigantic  iniqui- 
ties ;   and  yet  a  portable  machine  that  may  be 

[  *  Our  author  grapples  here  with  a  great  question.  To 
denounce  the  sin  of  covetousness  is  well ;  but  to  state  the 
doctrine,  the  laws,  the  emotions,  which  should  occupy  the 
soul  from  which  this  lust  has  been  cast  out,  is  better.  Per- 
fect love  not  only  casteth  out  fear,  it  is  also  capable  of  casting 
out  covetousness.  We  must  bring  forward  the  forces  which 
are  not  onty  to  besiege  and  take,  but  occupy  and  keep,  the 
citadel  of  the  soul.  —  C] 


DISHONESTY.  107 

used  in  detecting  the  hidden  things  of  dishonesty 
in  your  minutest  transactions.  It  is  a  hesom  that 
sweeps  the  deepest,  darkest  crevice  of  a  deceitful 
heart.  It  is  a  rule  that  every  man  may  apply  for 
himself;  and  if  he  is  willing  to  know  the  right, 
he  will  not  fall  into  error.  Try  your  conduct  by 
that  law.  Take  it  with  you  when  you  are  behind 
the  counter,  and  the  customer  before  you  —  take 
it  with  you  to  the  manufactory,  when  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  goods  is  as  yet  unknown.  If  you 
were  the  customer  and  he  the  merchant  or  manu- 
facturer, would  you  be  willing  that  the  same  bar- 
gain should  be  made  —  that  the  same  material 
should  go  into  the  fabric  ?  Under  this  rule,  faith- 
fully applied,  a  man  might  make  a  mistake 
through  ignorance,  but  he  could  not  cheat.  In 
framing  that  rule,  the  Lord  has  taken  a  principle 
of  our  nature  that  is  uniform,  and  employed  it  to 
regulate  an  impulse  that,  when  left  to  itself,  is 
very  uncertain.  The  steady,  uniform  principle  is, 
the  desire  not  to  be  cheated.  The  wavering,  uncer- 
tain thing,  which  you  may  have  at  one  time  and 
want  at  another  —  the  thing  that  with  man  you 
can  never  be  sure  of,  is,  the  desire  not  to  cheat. 
Xow,  in  the  construction  of  that  comprehensive 
rule  of  Christian  morality,  the  uncertain  is  con- 
nected with  the  certain  —  the  moveable  is  made 


108  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

fast  to  the  immoveable,  in  order  that  it  too  may 
be  made  sure.  Justice  is  linked  to  self-interest, 
because,  while  justice  in  fallen  man  is  weak  and 
wavering,  self-interest  is  steady  and  strong.  If 
that  rule  were  faithfully  applied,  we  would  have 
the  same  security  that  a  man  would  not  injure 
his  neighbor,  which  we  now  have  that  he  will  not 
injure  himself.* 

Some  forms  of  dishonesty,  such  as  a  false  bal- 
ance, that  are  prominently  condemned  in  Scrip- 
ture, we  shall  pass  over  without  particular  notice, 
because  in  modern  society,  though  they  still  exist, 
they  have  been  comparatively  cast  into  the  shade 
by  other  inventions.  Dishonesty  is  obliged  to 
hide   itself  now  under  more   elaborate   devices. 


[*This  idea  deserves  to  be  maturely  weighed,  and  to  be 
studied  in  all  its  bearings.  Self-interest  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  stimulants  to  exertion  which  God  has  planted  in  the 
human  breast  —  and  one  which  grows  stronger  by  indulgence. 
Infinite  wisdom  has,  it  may  be,  planted  it  there  to  give  vigor 
to  the  character,  but  not  without  clearly  revealing  that  the 
self-interest  which  regards  its  highest  inducements  must  not 
neglect  for  a  moment  the  demands  of  justice  and  the  obliga- 
tions of  duty.  If  self-interest  were  duly  enlightened,  "we 
should  have  the  same  security  that  a  man  would  not  injure  his 
neighbor  which  we  now  have  that  he  will  not  injure  himself." 
We  must  therefore  not  only  denounce  covetousness,  but  we 
must  heed  the  teachings  of  Christ,  which  instruct  us  not  only 
what  we  should  not  do,  but  tell  us  what  we  should  do.  These 
instructions  need  to  be  fully  developed  and  applied.  —  C] 


DISHONESTY.  109 

There  is  one  form  of  it,  however,  which,  though 
it  is  vulgar  enough  in  its  own  nature,  the  refine- 
ments of  society  cannot  banish  into  the  hack- 
ground.  I  mean  the  adulteration  of  goods  offered 
for  sale  by  the  mixture  of  other  ingredients.  This 
practice  prevails  to  a  very  great  extent,  and  in 
many  different  kinds  of  articles.  I  do  not  say  the 
fact  of  mixing  different  articles  is,  in  its  own 
nature,  necessarily  dishonest.  But  I  do  say  that, 
to  sell  as  pure  an  article  that  is  mixed  with  some- 
thing else,  is  a  dishonest  deed.  To  sell  an  article 
into  which  some  other  ingredient  has  been  put, 
without  telling  the  customer,  when  the  customer, 
if  told,  would  decline  the  bargain,  is  plain  unvar- 
nished cheating.  All  or  most  of  vour  neighbors 
do  it !  It  is  the  custom  of  the  trade  !  Well,  and 
what  then  ?  The  practice  of  your  neighbors  is 
not  the  rule  of  your  duty ;  the  custom  of  the  trade 
is  not  the  standard  whereby  you  will  be  judged  at 
the  throne  of  God.  The  line  of  duty  is  short  and 
simple.  One  would  think  it  is  abundantly  obvious 
to  an  honest  man.  Sell  the  article,  whether  sim- 
ple or  compound,  according  to  the  best  of  your 
judgment,  for  what  it  is. 

A  false  representation  to  a  customer  as  to  the  ori- 
ginal cost  of  your  wares,  or  the  rate  of  your  profit, 
is  manifestly  dishonest.     I  do  not  think  any  mer- 


110  FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS  — 

chant  is  bound  to  tell  how  much  he  paid  for  his 
goods,  or  how  much  he  is  making'  out  of  them. 
But  if  he  volunteer  any  information  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  is  bound  to  tell  the  truth,  and  the  whole 
truth  necessary  to  enable  the  purchaser  to  form  a 
correct  opinion.  A  portion  of  truth  may  be 
stated  in  such  a  way  as  to  convey  an  erroneous 
impression  to  an  unskilful  inquirer.  When  this 
is  done  intentionally,  the  truth  is  turned  into  a  lie. 
The  sharpened  wit  of  the  practised  dealer  may  in 
this  way  draw  out  the  hard-earned  money  of  a 
laborer  who  has  come  in  quest  of  winter  provi- 
sion for  his  family,  but  the  transaction  is  un- 
righteous. The  poor  man  is  outwitted,  and  has 
gone  out  of  your  sight ;  but  you  are  not  yet  clear 
of  the  transaction.  The  Judge  of  the  poor  has 
yet  to  be  met. 

Above  all  things,  you  who  have  others,  espe- 
cially young  persons,  employed  in  selling  your 
goods,  charge  them  to  be  true  and  honest.  I  speak 
now  not  for  the  purchasers,  but  for  the  salesmen. 
A  system  of  dishonesty  in  a  shop  may  cheat  the 
casual  customer  out  of  a  few  pence  ;  but  it  inflicts 
on  the  seller  a  deeper  wrong  —  it  becomes  the  de- 
filer  of  his  conscience,  the  destroyer  of  his  soul. 
Enjoin  not,  encourage  not,  permit  not,  any  thing 
short   of   transparent   righteousness.      Suffer  no 


DISHONESTY.  Ill 

trick  of  any  kind.  Let  nothing  be  transacted  on 
your  premises  that  you  would  have  cause  to  be 
ashamed  of  if,  in  all  its  particulars,  it  were  dis- 
played to  the  world.  I  know  of  nothing  more 
revolting  in  all  the  secret  doublings  of  dishonest 
ambition,  than  is  implied  in  the  experience  of  a 
young  man  who  finds  himself  wedged  between 
the  two  sides  of  the  terrible  alternative  of  cheat- 
ing to  please  his  employer,  or  giving  up  his  situ- 
ation for  the  safety  of  his  soul. 

Some  may  say, — I  have  often  heard  it  said, —  if 
you  insist  on  such  strictness,  }'ou  cannot  carry  on 
business  at  all.  I  sympathise  with  the  difficulties 
of  men  in  business.  When  they  think  of  their 
families  that  must  be  supported ;  when  they  see 
the  trade  ready  to  go  past  them,  because  of  un- 
scrupulous practices  resorted  to  by  others  ;  when 
they  feel  themselves  screwed  up  on  all  sides  by  the 
pressure  of  a  thousand  eager  competitors,  I  do 
compassionate  my  brethren  in  their  time  and  place 
of  trial :  but  I  am  here  speaking  from  God,  and 
for  righteousness,  and  about  the  interests  of  eter- 
nity. Of  necessity  I  must  speak  the  truth.  I 
have,  in  view  of  these  difficulties,  only  one  counsel 
to  give,  one  command  to  issue,  and  it  is  this : 
When  the  alternative  is  presented  to  you  of  a  fall- 
ing off  in  business,  or  dishonest  shifts  to  keep  it 
IS 


112  FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS — 

up,  make  short  work  of  it  —  dally  not  with 
the  tempter.  If  you  cannot  both  keep  a  good 
custom  and  a  good  conscience,  let  one  of  them  go. 
Keep  a  good  conscience  at  all  hazards,  and  cast 
yourself  on  a  Father  in  heaven  for  daily  bread. 

Breach  of  trust  is  a  form  of  dishonesty  alarm- 
ingly frequent  in  our  day.  Our  ears  are  familiar 
with  reports  of  persons  entrusted  with  the  man- 
agement of  money,  using  it  for  their  own  pur- 
poses, and  so  defrauding  their  employers.  It  is 
seldom  a  case  of  simple  theft.  In  most  instances 
the  course  is  that  which  we  have  already  traced. 
It  is  first  a  determination  to  be  rich ;  then  the 
temptation,  the  snare,  and  the  hurtful  lusts  follow 
each  other  in  rapid  succession.  The  man  with 
this  passion  burning  in  his  bosom  has  money,  the 
property  of  others,  passing  through  his  hands. 
He  sees  a  promising  speculation.  If  he  can  by  a 
successful  move  make  a  profit  to  himself,  his  em- 
ployers will  experience  no  injury:  they  will  get 
their  own  again.  I  do  not  know  how  many 
instances  of  this  daring  operation  may  take  place 
amongst  us.  I  suppose  we  hear  only  of  those  that 
are  unsuccessful.  Public  attention  is  attracted  to 
the  loss  and  shame  that  are  attached  to  the  close 
of  the  transaction,  but  the  real  dishonesty  lies  at 
the  beginning  of  it  —  in  risking  money  without 


DISHOXESTY.  113 

the  knowledge  or  against  the  will  of  its  owner. 
Though  the  speculator  should  succeed,  and  repay 
in  full,  he  has  acted  dishonestly.  The  risk  is  a 
thing  that  has  a  money  value :  it  may  he  small, 
or  it  may  be  great ;  but  whatever  it  is,  if  you  take 
it  without  bargaining  and  paying  for  it,  you  are 
stealing — you  have  fallen  into  the  snare. 

Id  the  management  of  railways,  disclosures  have 
been  made  that  may  well  make  us  tremble  for  the 
prosperity  of  our  country.  Practices  have  been 
brought  to  light  which  may  well  make  us  blush, 
not  only  for  our  Christian  name,  but  for  our  com- 
mon nature.  With  extravagant  expenditure,  self- 
interested,  dishonorable  jobbing,  and  wholesale 
swindling,  the  nation  has  perhaps  suffered  as  much 
on  the  one  side  as  it  has  gained  on  the  other  by 
these  wonderful  creations  of  our  age.  The  ad- 
vantage of  railways  to  the  social  condition  of  the 
Community  is  incalculably  great ;  but  multiform 
dishonesty  has  so  mixed  the  cup  of  blessing,  that 
one  might  almost  entertain  the  question,  whether 
it  would  not  have  been  on  the  whole  better  for 
the  country  that  railways  had  not  been  invented 
yet? 

There  are  other  transactions  on  a  large  scale  in 
which  one  portion  of  the  community  have  been 
unwisely  trusting,  and  another  portion  have  been 


114  FRUIT    OF   C0VET0USNESS — 

unjustly  abusing  that  trust,  until  both  are  ruined 
together.  I  must  make  a  plain  statement  on  this 
head.  Men  seem  to  speak  and  act  as  if  great 
mercantile  transactions  were  not  to  be  judged  by 
the  old-fashioned  rules  of  morality  that  apply  to 
common  things.  Righteousness  is  one  and  un- 
changeable. It  compasses  about  your  mighty  traf- 
ficking, and  lays  bonds  on  it,  as  completely  and 
as  easily  as  the  smallest  bargainings  between  a 
huckster  and  a  peasant  at  the  wayside :  even  as 
the  same  law  with  equal  ease  retains  a  little  water 
in  a  cup,  and  the  ocean's  wave  within  the  ocean's 
bed.* 

The  principle  which  I  desire  to  enunciate  and 
illustrate  is  this  :  If  a  number  of  persons  agree  to 
entrust  certain  sums  of  money  to  certain  men,  to 
be  used  according  to  their  discretion,  then  though 

[  *  It  behooves  the  pious  of  every  denomination  to  consider 
what  they  can  do  to  vindicate  society  from  such  reproach  as 
this.  If  these  reproaches  be  deserved,  an  effort  should  be 
made  to  purify  the  social  arrangements  which  tolerate  such 
departures  from  sound  morality.  Christians  are  better  taught 
—  they  know  better.  Can  it  be  that  in  such  a  country  as 
Scotland,  where  evangelical  religion  is  prevalent,  where  Pro- 
testantism is  in  the  ascendant,  where  religious  training  is 
almost  universal,  that  such  language  is  needed  to  characterize 
the  morals  of  the  commercial  and  industrial  community?  Is 
it  not  a  serious  reproach  to  Protestantism?  We  fear  they 
dwell  more  upon  those  doctrines  which  refer  to  God  than 
upon  those  which  refer  to  their  duty  to  men.  —  C] 


DISHONESTY.  115 

those  who  receive  it  act  injudiciously,  and  the 
depositors  thereby  suffer  loss,  the  managers  may 
be  accused  of  ignorance  or  unskilfulness,  but  not 
of  dishonesty.  If,  however,  the  money  has  been 
entrusted  to  them  by  a  specific  instrument,  describ- 
ing clearly  the  method  of  management,  and  in 
particular  defining  the  amount  of  risk  that  they 
were  permitted  to  run, — if  they  receive  the  money 
on  these  terms,  and  then  knowingly  go  beyond 
the  specified  risk,  without  consulting  their  con- 
stituents, the  deed  is  unjust,  without  reference  to 
the  success  that  may  attend  it. 

Take  an  analogous  case.  The  cultivators  of  a 
district  acquire  as  their  joint  property  a  boat,  to 
be  used  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  produce  to 
the  opposite  side  of  an  inland  lake.  They  agree 
upon  a  scheme  of  management,  which  is  accu- 
rately written  out.  One  of  the  clauses  provides 
that  on  no  pretence  whatever  shall  more  than 
twenty  tons  be  put  on  board  at  one  time ;  that 
being,  after  due  admeasurement,  considered  the 
utmost  amount  of  burden  that  was  consistent 
with  perfect  safety.  A  few  of  the  farmers  who 
reside  near  the  shore  are  appointed  managers  of 
the  concern.  The  constitution  of  the  company, 
in  which  they  have  concurred,  is  placed  in  their 
hands,  and  the  various  members  return  to  their 
13* 


116  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

own  homes.  Operations  have  begun,  and  the 
prospect  is  good.  Daily  the  boat  leaves  the  shore 
with  her  burden,  and  the  whole  neighborhood 
reaps  the  benefit.  One  morning,  when  the  boat 
was  fully  loaded  and  ready  to  start,  one  of  the 
managers  said  to  his  brethren,  "'1  have  twenty 
quarters  of  wheat  here  ;  if  I  do  not  get  it  over  by 
this  trip  I  shall  lose  my  market ;  it  will  be  a  great 
accommodation  if  you  will  permit  me  to  put  it  on 
board."  "Any  thing  to  accommodate  you,  sir," 
replied  the  chairman  ;  "  but  it  is  against  the  rules. 
We  might  be  liable  for  the  consequences."  "  There 
is  no  danger,"  replied  the  other;  "the  lake  is  as 
smooth  as  a  mill-pond ;  there  is  not  a  breath  of 
wind.  The  rule  is  made  for  a  stormy  day ;  the 
boat  will  carry  forty  tons  in  such  weather  as  this." 
The  reasoning  seemed  good,  and  the  favor  was 
granted.  No  accident  occurred.  Next  morning 
the  craft  was  at  her  moorings  ready  for  another 
load.  In  a  few  days,  another  member  asked  and 
obtained  a  similar  indulgence.  Again,  on  their 
return,  the  boatmen  reported  that  all  was  well. 
Forthwith,  instead  of  an  exception,  overloading 
became  the  rule.  Day  by  day  the  managers  ex- 
ceeded their  powers  for  their  own  advantage,  mu- 
tually accommodating  each  other,  in  the  absence, 
and  without  the  knowledge,  of  their  constituents. 


DISHONESTY.  117 

At  length,  unscrupulous  by  long  habit,  and  em- 
boldened by  uniform  success,  they  exceeded  all 
the  bounds  of  prudence.  Such  was  their  com- 
plicity, and  mutual  consciousness  of  wrong-doing, 
that  no  one  dared  to  refuse  what  any  one  was 
pleased  to  ask.  !Not  one  or  two,  but  all  the  man- 
agers, must  have  accommodations  at  the  same 
time.  One  day,  although  the  sky  looked  squally, 
the  boat  was  loaded  with  forty  tons,  exactly  the 
double  of  her  specified  burden,  because  every  one 
of  the  managers  needed  something  for  himself; 
and  all,  in  spite  of  misgivings,  were  obliged  to 
comply  with  the  demands  of  each.  Off  went  the 
boat  at  her  accustomed  hour,  with  the  water  up 
to  her  gunwale.  The  managers  stood  on  the  shore 
and  looked  after  her  with  some  anxiety,  till  she 
was  out  of  sight  in  a  haze.  In  the  evening  news 
arrived  that  at  mid-passage  a  ripple  had  risen  on 
the  water,  the  boat  had  filled  and  sunk,  and  the 
whole  cargo  had  been  lost.  Disastrous  was  the 
result;  but  though  there  had  been  no  disaster, 
there  was  dishonesty.  The  community  of  pro- 
prietors had  concluded  a  bargain  with  the  direct- 
ors for  a  certain  definite  risk,  leaving  them  on  that 
point  no  discretion.  Behind  backs  the  managers 
took  more  than  was  bargained  for,  and  that  in 
favor  of  themselves.     They  cheated  their  neigh- 


118  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

bora.  Even  while  the  trick  was  successful,  it  was 
dishonest.  The  guilt  of  an  action  does  not  de- 
pend on  its  discovery. 

Let  the  principle  involved  in  such  a  case  be 
applied  to  any  large  joint  money  speculations.  If 
an  indefinite  number  of  persons  agree  to  throw 
various  sums  of  money  into  one  great  capital  — 
if  they  agree  upon  the  principles  of  management, 
and  embody  them  in  specific  rules  —  in  particular, 
if  they  determine  and  define  the  kind  and  amount 
of  security  that  must  be  kept  around  it  —  if  they 
lay  down  a  maximum  risk  which  their  property 
may  be  allowed  to  run,  and  mark  off  the  breadth 
of  margin  which  is  continually  to  be  kept  between 
it  and  the  encroachments  of  danger;  —  if,  after 
completing  the  legislative  code,  so  to  speak,  they 
entrust  the  executive  to  some  of  their  own  num- 
ber—  if  they  go  to  their  homes  trusting  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  constitution  for  the  preservation  of 
their  property,  and  to  the  honesty  of  the  directors 
for  the  preservation  of  the  constitution — then,  and 
in  that  case,  if  the  managers,  to  the  best  of  their 
judgment,  abide  by  the  rules,  although  loss  should 
ensue,  they  are  to  be  honoured  in  their  misfor- 
tunes, and  sustained  against  the  interested  com- 
plaints of  disappointed  speculators.  Want  of  suc- 
cess is  no   crime.     On  the   other  hand,  if  they 


DISHONESTY.  119 

knowingly  exceed  the  rules,  without  new  instruc- 
tions from  their  constituents ;  more  especially  if 
the  excess  be  in  their  own  favor,  and  for  their 
own  pecuniary  advantage;  if  they  expose,  and 
persist  in  exposing,  the  property  of  their  consti- 
tuents to  greater  risks  than  the  rules  admit,  or 
their  constituents  know,  they  are  dishonest  men, 
whatever  their  standing  may  he  in  the  church  or 
the  community. 

Let  it  he  observed,  that  I  give  no  judgment  on 
any  particular  case,  for  this  good  reason,  that  I 
do  not  know  the  facts  on  which  such  a  judgment 
might  rest.  It  is  not  for  me  to  decide  on  mere 
rumor,  however  prevalent.  A  strong  rumor  might 
overrun  and  oppress  the  innocent.  It  is  my  duty 
and  my  aim  to  lay  down  principles  of  judging, 
and  let  no  man  apply  them  against  a  neighbor 
except  on  the  basis  of  ascertained  facte.  It  is  my 
aim  to  enunciate  only  the  major  of  the  indict- 
ment ;  and  the  public  have  no  right  to  bring  home 
the  conclusion  against  any  brother,  unless,  with 
all  the  solemnity  of  a  jury,  they  have  seen  a  minor 
established,  fastening  the  conclusion  upon  a  par- 
ticular man.  I  have  been  induced  to  lift  my  voice 
on  these  subjects,  not  by  any  tardiness  observed 
in  affixing  blame  to  guilty  persons,  but  by  fear 
of  latitudinarian  views  on  the  very  principles  of 
righteousness.     My  object  is  not  to  quicken  the 


120  THE   FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSXESS  — 

public  mind  into  greater  readiness  to  fix  on  a  par- 
ticular man  a  charge  of  guilt.  The  public  seem 
to  be  more  than  sufficiently  apt  to  do  this  already. 
My  object  is  to  describe  certain  acts  and  courses 
of  action,  and  to  proclaim  that  the  perpetrators, 
whoever  they  may  be,  ought  to  be  accounted  dis- 
honest men. 

It  is  a  grievous  thing  when  matters  have  come 
to  such  a  pass,  that  a  minister  expounding  the 
morality  of  the  Bible  finds  it  necessary  to  enter 
into  such  definitions,  in  order  to  explain  what  dis- 
honesty is.  Men  dare  now-a-days  to  bring  for- 
ward the  magnitude  of  their  transactions  to  break 
down  the  barriers  which  God  has  set  up  between 
right  and  wrong.  It  has  often  been  remarked  in 
regard  to  unjust  wars,  that  he  who  kills  ten  thou- 
sand gets  a  coronet  upon  his  brow,  and  he  who 
kills  one  gets  a  halter  on  his  neck.  There  is  an 
inclination  to  adopt  a  similar  distinction  between 
great  dishonesties  and  small.  We  protest  against 
the  distinction,  whether  expressed  or  implied. 
The-Bible  affords  it  no  countenance.  "But  busi- 
ness could  not  go  on,  if  you  class  the  great  trans- 
actions of  honorable  men  with  the  tricks  of  mean 
swindlers."  Avaunt,  Mammon,  thou  God  of  the 
world  ;  thou  art  the  enemy  of  righteousness  !  It 
is  necessary  that  all  men  do  justly,  whether  busi- 
ness go  forward  or  stand  still.     I  suppose  one  of 


DISHONESTY.  121 

the  most  widely  current  maxims  that  ever  obtained 
in  any  language  is  the  Latin  proverb,  "Fiat  jus- 
titia,  mat  ccelum"  —  "Do  justly,  though  the  sky 
should  tumble  down."  So  be  it;  but  there  is  no 
danger.  God  has  better  supported  the  pillars  of 
the  sky.  Our  dishonest  manoeuvres  are  not  re- 
quired to  keep  them  up.  God  has  better  com- 
pacted the  framework  of  society,  than  that  it 
should  need  your  tricks  to  keep  it  going.  It  is  a 
libel  on  the  wisdom  of  the  Almighty  to  say  that 
business  could  not  go  on  if  righteousness,  pure  as 
that  of  heaven,  were  made  to  circulate  through  all 
its  hidden  channels.  The  business  of  earth  would 
realty  prosper,  if  its  people  were  all  righteous,  and 
righteous  always.  Forthwith  it  would  be  a  new 
earth,  if  it  should  become  the  dwelling-place  of 
righteousness. 

What  civilization  and  commerce  cannot  do  for 
this  troubled  world,  God  will  yet  do  by  the  send- 
ing of  his  Son.  As  Christ  has  come,  bearing  sin 
to  save,  he  will  come  in  righteousness  to  be  glori- 
fied in  his  saints.  To  them  that  wait  for  him 
shall  he  come  the  second  time,  without  sin  unto 
salvation.  If,  weary  of  the  world's  sin,  yet  will- 
ing to  do  the  Master's  work,  we  wait  for  his 
coming,  what  manner  of  persons  ought  we  to  be 
meantime,  in  all  holv  conversation  and  godliness ! 


LECTURE  V. 

FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS  —  OPPRESSION. 

"  Flee   these  things,  and  follow  after  ....  love,  patience, 
meekness."  —  1  Tim.  vi.  11. 

The  love  of  money  is  a  root  of  every  evil,  and 
oppression  is  one  of  its  many  bitter  fruits.  The 
subject  of  this  discourse  is  the  multiform  oppres- 
sion of  the  poor  that  results  from  a  too  eager 
pursuit  of  wealth.  There  are  certain  texts  of 
Scripture  in  which  this  idea  seems  to  be  very 
distinctly  expressed  —  such  as,  "Do  not  rich  men 
oppress  you  ? "  "  Behold  the  hire  of  the  laborer," 
&c.  —  but  the  connection  between  these  expres- 
sions and  our  present  theme  is  more  apparent 
than  real.  These  expressions  specify  forms  of 
oppression  which  prevailed  in  those  times,  but 
which  are  more  rare  in  the  highly-civilized  society 
of  our  own  country  and  our  own  day.  The  text 
which  I  have  written  at  the  head  of  this  lecture 
goes  to  the  fountain  of  the  evil,  and  beginning 
there  we  can  follow  the  course  of  the  streams, 

(122) 


OPPRESSION.  123 

whether  they  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left. 
Oppression  is  greatly  modified  in  form  "by  the 
circumstances  of  society,  although  in  its  nature  it 
continue  the  same.  It  is  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence to  go,  in  the  light  of  Scripture,  to  the 
state  of  the  heart  whence  the  vices  flow ;  for  if 
we  look  merely  to  the  overt  acts,  we  may  be  led 
to  conclude  that  the  acts  have  changed  their 
nature,  while  they  have  only  changed  their  form. 
If  you  flee  from  the  miser's  thirst  for  wealth,  and 
follow  after  "  love,  patience*  meekness"  you  will 
not  take  a  guilty  part  in  any  thing  that  would 
oppress  the  poor,  however  cunningly  disguised 
the  oppression  may  he. 

In  ruder  times,  the  rich  often  oppressed  the 
poor  in  a  very  direct  manner.  When  might  took 
the  place  of  right,  they  who  had  the  power  did 
not  always  take  the  trouble  of  covering  their 
rapacity  under  legal  forms.  They  kept  back  the 
laborer's  hire,  or  seized  his  patrimonial  field,  or 
enslaved  his  person,  according  to  the  measure  of 
impunity  which  their  circumstances  permitted 
them  to  enjoy.  In  this  country,  and  in  the 
present  day,  such  vulgar  robbery  cannot  be  per- 
petrated. The  richest  man  in  this  kingdom  can- 
not withhold  from  the  poorest  a  penny  to  which 
he  has  a  legal  claim.  So  far  it  is  well.  It  should 
14 


124  FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS — 

be  matter  of  thankfulness  to  the  Ruler  over  all. 
Having  never  known  the  want  of  it,  there  is 
reason  to  fear  we  do  not  sufficiently  appreciate  its 
worth.  But  the  supremacy  of  law  in  a  country 
does  not  imply  the  reign  of  justice,  far  less  of 
love,  in  human  hearts.  The  advanced  civiliza- 
tion which  lays  an  effectual  restraint  on  rapacious 
hands,  cannot  drive  covetousness  from  its  seat  in 
the  soul.  Dwelling  there,  reigning  there,  when 
one  path  is  obstructed,  it  will  form  a  new  one  for 
itself.  Love  of  money,  a  spring  in  the  heart, 
when  one  channel  of  issue  is  locked  up,  will  force 
its  way  by  another.  Accordingly,  this  passion  as 
certainly,  and  perhaps  we  should  say  as  exten- 
sively, oppresses  the  poor  now,  as  in  ruder  nations 
at  earlier  times.  The  same  native  evil  is  com- 
pelled to  adopt  more  refined  modes  of  action  :  but 
the  oppression  may  be  as  galling  to  the  poor  and 
as  displeasing  to  God  although  it  keep  strictly 
within  the  letter  of  human  law. 

One  object  of  our  Sabbath  assemblies  is  to  get 
the  law  of  the  Lord  applied  to  principles  and 
practices  which  lie  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
enactments.  A  Christian  should  not  dislike  to 
have  God's  law  applied  to  him  in  all  its  length 
and  breadth.  He  who  has  been  most  sincerely 
endeavoring  to  conform  to  the  law,  will  be  most 


OPPRESSION.  125 

willing  to  have  new  deficiencies  pointed  out  which 
had  hitherto  escaped  him.  What  do  ye  more  than 
others  ?  It  will  not  do  for  a  man  who  bears 
Christ's  name  to  gather  himself  up  and  say,  I 
have  given  every  one  what  is  legally  his  due. 
]S"o  thanks  to  you  for  that.  Those  who  care  not 
for  Christ,  who  blaspheme  his  holy  name,  do  the 
same — must  do  the  same  —  dare  not  withhold  it: 
but  you  —  you  are  under  the  law  to  Christ ;  and 
his  law  is  love,  "Flee  these  things,  and  follow 
after  love."  His  commandment  is,  "Love  one 
another,  as  I  have  loved  you."  If  you  repudiate 
that  law,  you  reject  Christ.  Are  you  his  subjects, 
or  are  you  not  ?  If  you  are,  then  after  keeping 
human  law  towards  all  mankind,  you  must  hear 
his  law,  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  It  is 
not  by  acts  of  Parliament,  and  the  judicial  prece- 
dents of  human  tribunals  that  we  are  to  be  judged. 
The  Father  hath  committed  all  judgment  to  the 
Son.  He  will  judge  by  his  own  law  then :  we 
should  regulate  our  lives  by  it  now.* 

[  *  "We  can  scarcely  wonder  that  our  author  should  have 
been  led,  in  considering  the  sin  of  covetousness,  to  contem- 
plate the  miseries  of  the  poor,  when  we  revert  to  the  actual 
condition  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  population  in  the  great 
and  rich  city  of  Glasgow,  in  which  these  discourses  were 
delivered.  A  well-informed  author,  in  a  recent  work,  speak- 
ing of  a  district  in  the  heart  of  Glasgow,  says,  —  "  that  no 


12G  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

I  have  no  doubt  the  law  of  Christ  is  violated 
amongst  us  —  thoughtlessly,  in  ignorance,  and  in 
company  with  a  multitude,  it  may  be  —  but  still 


language  can  exaggerate  the  horrors  of  the  scenes  which  are 
daily  and  hourly  passing  in  the  midst  of  the  immense  empo- 
riums of  wealth  and  commerce  which  have  sprung  up  as  if 
by  magic  throughout  the  land."  {Prize-Essay  on  National 
Distress.)  The  following  is  from  the  Parliamentary  Reports 
of  the  Hand-Loom  Commission,  and  refers  to  the  same  dis- 
tricts in  Glasgow.  Mr.  Symonds,  the  Commissioner,  says  — 
"Under  the  escort  of  the  vigilant  superintendent  of  the  Glas- 
gow police,  I  have  four  times  visited  these  districts  ;  —  I  have 
seen  human  degradation  in  some  of  its  worst  phases,  both  in 
England  and  abroad,  but  I  can  advisedly  say  that  I  did  not 
believe,  until  I  visited  the  AVynds  of  Glasgow,  that  so  large 
an  amount  of  filth,  crime,  misery,  and  disease,  existed  on  one 
spot  in  any  civilized  country."  {Report,  p.  51.)  The  Report 
of  the  officer  who  accompanied  Mr.  Symonds  contains  minute 
details;  but  we  can  quote  only  this  passage  —  "There  (in 
those  districts)  is  concentrated  every  thing  that  is  wretched, 
dissolute,  loathsome,  and  pestilential.  The  houses  in  which 
this  miserable  population  (some  30,000)  live,  are  unfit  even 
for  sties,  and  every  apartment  is  filled  with  a  promiscuous 
crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children,  all  in  the  most  revolting 
state  of  filth  and  squalor.  ...  In  these  horrid  dens  the  most 
abandoned  characters  of  the  city  are  collected,  and  from 
thence  they  nightly  issue  to  disseminate  disease,  and  to  pour 
upon  the  town  every  species  of  crime  and  abomination.  The 
people  who  dwell  in  these  quarters  are  sunk  to  the  lowest 
possible  state  of  personal  degradation,  and  regard  themselves, 
from  the  hopelessness  of  their  condition,  as  doomed  to  a  life 
of  wretchedness  and  crime."  [Rep.  pp.  14,  15.) — No  wonder, 
with  such  scenes  before  his  eyes,  that  the  preacher  should 
suspect  there  might  be  some  connection  between  wealth  and 
covetousness  on  the  one  hand,  and  such  extreme  destitution 


OPPRESSION.  127 

sinfully  violated,  to  a  most  alarming  extent  in 
connection  with  the  money-making  efforts  of  this 
mercantile  community. 

You  have  seen  a  street  thronged  from  side  to 
side  with  human  beings,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, all  moving  in  one  direction.  The  mass 
moves  like  a  river.  If  every  one  keep  his  own 
place  and  glide  along  with  the  current,  the  motion 
will  he  gentle  and  harmless.  But  two  or  three 
strong  men  in  the  midst  of  that  crowd  conceive  a 
desire  to  proceed  at  a  much  quicker  rate  than 
their  neighbors.  Yielding  to  that  impulse,  they 
bound  forward  with  might  and  main.  Observe 
the  effect  of  their  effort.  They  press  on  the  per- 
sons that  are  next  them.  If  these  be  strong  men 
too,  the  only  effect  will  be  to  push  them  faster 
forward,  and  the  greater  pressure  may  be  only  a 

on  the  other.  He  could  scarcely  avoid  inquiring  —  Do  these 
poor  people  work?  If  so,  how  are  they  paid?  If  they  do 
not  work,  why  not  ?  If  these  people,  who  belong  to  the  work- 
ing classes,  had  been  properly  cared  for,  —  if  work  had  been 
offered  them,  and  proper  wages  had  been  paid,  would  they,  in 
such  masses,  have  sunk  into  this  degradation?  He  might 
well  consider  whether  the  indirect,  but  overwhelming,  oppres- 
sion proceeding  from  the  commercial  and  industrial  systems 
of  our  day,  is  not  as  great,  as  sinful,  and  as  much  to  be 
denounced,  as  any  which  has  preceded  it.  He  might  well  be 
led  to  the  conclusion  that  these  systems  demand  an  infusion 
of  Christian  humanity  and  love,  to  reconcile  their  practical 
operations  with  the  laws  of  Christ.  —  C] 

14* 


128  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSXESS — 

pleasant  excitement.  But  the  pressure  extends 
on  either  side,  and  is  felt  even  to  the  outer  edge 
of  the  crowd.  "Wherever  there  is  a  woman,  a 
child,  or  a  cripple,  the  feehle  goes  to  the  wall. 
The  person  originating  the  pressure  may  not  be 
in  contact  with  that  sickly  passenger  —  there  may 
be  many  persons  between  them  ;  but  the  pressure 
goes  through  all  the  intermediate  links,  not  hurt- 
ing any  till  it  come  to  one  who  is  unable  to  bear 
it,  and  hurting  the  helpless.  In  such  a  crowd, 
you  may  sometimes  see  the  selfishness  of  human 
nature  in  all  its  undisguised  odiousness.  The 
man  seeks  his  own  advantage,  heedless  of  the 
injuries  that  his  effort  may  inflict  on  others.  He 
is  not  guilty  of  a  direct  deed  of  injustice^  He 
would  not  lift  his  hand  to  strike  the  feeble ;  he 
would  not  illegally  wrest  away  his  property.  He 
endeavors  to  act  justly :  nay,  he  sometimes  opens 
his  hand  in  charity  to  the  distressed.  But  really, 
though  indirectly,  he  is  an  oppressor.  He  wrig- 
gles forward,  although  his  movements  necessarily 
hurt  the  poor.  He  looks  to  his  own  things  ;  and 
disregards  the  things  of  others.  He  breaks  the 
law  of  Christ. 

The  oppressions  which  abound  in  our  day,  as 
the  fruits  of  covetousness,  are  chiefly  of  this 
nature.     They  are  by  no  means  so  gross  as  the 


OPPRESSION.  129 

tyranny  which  the  feudal  lords  of  the  middle  ages 
exercised  on  their  serfs ;  but  they  spring  from  the 
same  source,  and  are  essentially  of  the  same  char- 
acter in  the  estimation  of  the  Judge.  Xaboth's 
vineyard  is  not  now  to  he  added  to  the  ampler 
possessions  of  his  richer  neighbor,  by  suborning 
men  of  Belial  to  swear  away  the  poor  man's  life  ; 
yet  the  poor  man  is  oppressed,  and  rich  men 
would  need  to  examine  carefully  whether  their 
hands  are  clean. 

Yet  another  word  of  explanation  is  required 
before  I  proceed  to  specify  cases  of  oppression. 
"W men  I  speak  of  hardships  endured  by  the  poor, 
I  speak  of  them  at  present  in  so  far  only  as  they 
are  inflicted  on  the  poor  by  the  selfish  conduct  of 
others.  I  am  well  aware,  and  at  the  proper  time 
I  am  prepared  to  declare  it  fully,  that  the  sufferers 
are  often  in  great  measure  the  cause  of  their  own 
misfortunes.  That  subject,  however,  is  not  at 
present  before  us.  Our  subject  is,  not  the  priva- 
tions which  the  poor,  by  vice  and  improvidence, 
may  bring  upon  themselves,  but  the  hardships 
that  are  brought  upon  them  by  those  who  are  in 
haste  to  be  rich.* 

[  *  The  improvidence,  the  vices  and  crimes,  of  the  poor,  are 
a  standing  excuse  with  many  for  refusing  them  that  compas- 
sion which  their  condition  inspires.     It  is,  however,  no  ex- 


130  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSXESS  — 

I  shall  now  enumerate  and  briefly  illustrate 
some  of  the  forms  which  oppression  assumes  in 
modern  society. 

1.  The  reduction  of  wages  below  the  point  at 
which  a  laboring  man  can  support  his  family,  or 
a  woman  support  herself.  The  fact  is  indisput- 
able and  undoubted,  that  in  many  departments 
of  industry  the  remuneration  to  the  operator  is 
miserably  inadequate.  I  am  well  aware  that  this 
state  of  things  is  due  to  a  variety  of  causes,  over 
some  of  which  men  of  capital  can  exercise  no 
effective  control ;  but  one  of  the  causes  which  go 
to  produce  the  general  result  —  one  of  the  springs 
which  swell  that  stream  of  misery  —  is  within  our 
view  and  within  our  reach.  It  is  covetousness 
pervading  and  agitating  the  community.      It  is 

cuse  ;  for  uncharitableness  and  the  refusal  of  aid  on  such 
grounds  is  an  aggravation  of  the  offence.  Our  Saviour  did 
not  so  treat  the  erring  woman.  Compassion  for  crime,  for 
poverty,  for  degradation,  for  ignorance,  is  a  religious  duty ; 
and  not  only  compassion,  but  relief  and  remedy  according  to 
our  best  discretion  and  ability.  The  penalty  upon  those  who 
will  not  work,  is,  that  they  shall  not  eat  —  it  is  a  penalty 
fearfully  visited,  by  God,  upon  the  idle  and  dissolute ;  but 
God  has  not  placed  that  law  in  the  hands  of  his  people  to  be 
executed  by  them.  We  cannot  refuse  food,  nor  raiment,  nor 
shelter,  upon  that  ground,  to  our  fellow-men  :  for  we  are  not 
endowed  with  that  wisdom,  nor  that  infinite  knowledge,  which 
enables  us  in  all  cases  to  determine  the  validity  of  those 
excuses  which  are  offered  by  the  poor  for  their  poverty.  —  C] 


OPPRESSION.  131 

the  love  of  riches,  raging  as  a  passion,  and  causing, 
by  its  unhealthy  pulsation,  painful  inequalities  in 
the  action  of  the  body  politic.  There  is  enough 
for  all  —  enough  of  food  and  clothing  produced 
by  the  earth  for  the  abundant  supply  of  all  its 
inhabitants.  One  portion  of  the  community  have 
more  than  they  need,  while  another  have  not 
enough  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  nature.  This  evil 
cannot  be  remedied  by  spoiling  the  rich  to  satisfy 
the  poor.  The  Communist  theory  is  a  lie  and  a 
cheat.  It  begins  by  denying  God,  and  it  cannot 
end  in  doing  good  to  men.  It  has  not  truth  for 
its  basis,  and  cannot  have  the  benefit  of  the  species 
as  its  result.  To  lay  violent  hands  on  property, 
under  pretence  of  dividing  it  equally,  would  be  to 
add  yet  another  crime,  and  consequently  to  plunge 
the  country  into  deeper  distress.*    The  rich  might 

[  *  It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  day  that  the 
writer  who  espouses  the  cause  of  the  poor,  or  who  urges  the 
necessity  of  social  amelioration,  finds  himself  obliged  to 
denounce  socialism  or  communism,  that  it  may  be  distinctly 
understood  his  plans  do  not  come  from  that  quarter:  as  if  all 
amendment  belonged  to  socialists ;  as  if  others  could  not 
devise  social  benefits  or  reforms  without  their  instigation. 
It  would  not  be  amiss,  perhaps,  if  reformation,  both  social 
and  religious,  were  more  in  our  thoughts,  and  if  we  should 
be  careful  not  to  give  socialists  all  the  reputation  of  being 
ready  to  cure  social  evils.  If  Christians  will  but  awake  to 
the   social   aspects  of  Christianity,   and   betake   themselves- 


132  FRUIT    OF    COVETOUSNESS  — 

by  violence  be  made  poor:  but  the  poor  would 
not  thereby  be  made  rich.  Resistance  to  the  laws 
of  the  Creator's  government  quickly  recoils  upon 
its  author's  head. 

It  is  not  only  —  it  is  not  chiefly  —  the  pressure 
of  the  money-makers  that  holds  down  the  opera- 
tors. Vices  prevalent  among  themselves  have  a 
greater  share  in  the  work  of  degradation.  But  it 
is  not  the  part  of  a  Christian  man  to  comfort 
himself  with  the  thought,  —  It  is  not  all  my  fault. 
Does  any  part  of  the  evil  lie  at  your  door  ?  This 
is  the  question  for  you.  And  you  are  not  relieved 
by  showing,  as  you  can  easily  do,  that  the  evil 
belongs  to  the  system  which  has  become  preva- 
lent —  that  all  fall  in  with  the  current  —  and  that 
the  efforts  of  one  contending  against  it  would  not 
be  sensibly  felt.  All  this  may  be  true,  and  yet 
the  question  remains,  Have  you  done  your  own 
duty  ?  We  will  not  be  judged  for  want  of  success, 
so  far  as  results  depended  on  the  action  of  others, 
but  we  will  be  judged  for  want  of  faithfulness  in 
doing  the  part  that  lies  with  ourselves.  Consider 
the  poor ;  and  when  the  full  tide  of  selfish  effort 
is  pressing  on,  carrying  you  and  them  along  with 

heartily  to  the  reforms  in  society  which  it  enjoins,  then  the 
vocation  of  socialists  and  infidel  reformers  will  soon  be 
gone.  —  C.J 


OPPRESSION.  133 

it,  lean  you  the  other  way,  and  so  lighten,  by  the 
amount  of  your  influence,  the  Bufferings  which 
you  cannot  remove.     I  have  been  in  a  crowd  such 
as  I  have  described.     I  have  been  borne  along  in 
it,  not  painfully  pressed,  not  personally  injured, 
because  I  was  as  strong  of  body  as  airy  of  those 
around  me,  but  so  carried  forward  as  to  be  wholly 
unable  to  direct  my  own  movements.     In  these 
circumstances,  I  have  seen  a  poor,  feeble  woman 
falling-  before  me.     I  was  next  her.     It  was  my 
body  that  was  pressing  on  her,  to  the  danger  of 
her  life.     I  was  not  able  to  bear  back  the  whole 
mass  so  as  to  relieve  her  wholly,  but  I  leaned  back 
against  the  crowd  with  all  my  might,  and  cried 
out  to  my  neighbors  that  they  should  do  the  same. 
I  relieved,  by  a  little,  one  who  had  fallen  helpless. 
Even  though  the  pressure  behind  had  been  such 
that  I  could  not  in  any  the  least  degree  affect  it, 
yet  would  I,  in  such  a  case,  press  backward  with 
all  my  might.     It  would  gratify  an  instinct  of  my 
nature  planted  within  me  for  good.     If  my  body 
is  to  crush  that  poor  wretch,  it  shall  be  in  spite 
of  a  struggle  to  the  contrary,  in  which  all  the 
muscles  of  my  frame  are  strained  to  the  utter- 
most.    There  is  not  one  of  you  who  would  not, 
in  such  circumstances,  do  the  same  thing.     This 
is  all  that  I  ask.     I  only  want  the  same  instinct 


134  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

and  the  same  act  carried  out  to  the  great  crowd 
of  the  world.  In  the  eager,  onward  press  of  life, 
remember  the  poor,  and  lean  to  their  side.  "When 
the  number  of  generous  hearts  is  increased,  their 
efforts  will  tell  on  the  condition  of  the  com- 
munity. 

2.  The  labor  of  children  is  another  evil  more 
or  less  remotely  an  effect  of  the  haste  to  be  rich. 
In  such  a  community  as  this,  it  is  difficult  to  get 
the  children  of  the  poor  kept  at  school  beyond  the 
most  tender  age.  There  is  not  time  allowed  for 
the  proper  development  either  of  mind  or  body. 
Children  are  placed  under  the  yoke  while  yet  the 
bodily  frame  is  tender,  and  the  mental  faculties 
untrained.  Men,  their  masters,  force  them  to  toil 
at  an  age  when  God,  their  Maker,  evidently 
intended  that  they  should  sport.  The  labor  which 
God  has  righteously  laid  on  man,  man  has  un- 
righteously laid  on  infants.  This  derangement  is 
primarily  due  to  that  money-making  spirit  of 
which  we  complain.  The  labor  of  infants  is  not 
necessary  to  extract  from  the  ground  food  and 
clothing  for  the  human  species.  The  labor  of  the 
men  that  live  on  it  would  be  sufficient  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  no  more.  It  is  to  satisfy  the  morbid 
appetite  of  covetousness  that  little  ones  are  har- 
nessed in  the  ragged  implements  of  toil.    It  is  not 


OPPRESSION.  135 

by  a  sudden  effort,  or  by  the  deed  of  a  few,  that 
the  mischievous  system  is  to  be  overturned ;  but 
every  man  is  responsible  for  the  right  use  of  his 
own  influence.  Perhaps  you  do  not  personally 
press  a  poor  child  into  premature  toil ;  but  you 
press  one  who  presses  another,  who  presses  and 
oppresses  that  helpless  little  one.  Every  struggle 
of  strong  men  in  the  race  for  wealth  is  adding  to 
the  derangement  of  the  social  system,  and  telling 
somewhere  in  tears.  If,  by  the  Spirit's  reviving 
power,  many  in  our  city  were  satisfied  with  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  on  the  instant  there 
would  be  a  slackening  of  Mammon's  traces,  which 
hitherto  they  had  been  content  to  drag,  and  the 
effects  would  be  felt  on  the  utmost  verge  of  the 
community  —  the  widow's  burden  would  be  light- 
ened, and  the  orphan's  day  of  toil  longer  delayed. 

3.  Sabbath  labor  is  one  of  the  oppressions  that 
the  prevalence  of  the  money-interest  inflicts  upon 
mankind.  It  is  an  evil  that  cries  loud  to  the  Lord 
of  Hosts.  God  has  made  the  Sabbath,  and  given 
it  for  rest  to  wearied  men ;  and  Mammon  dares  to 
interfere  between  our  Father  in  heaven  and  his 
needy  children — Mammon  dares  to  wrench  from 
the  poor  this  good  gift  of  God. 

"Remember  the  Sabbath-day  to  keep  it  holy," 
says  God ;  "  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all 
15 


136  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS — 

thy  work."  "  Labor  all  the  six  days,"  says  Mam- 
mon, "  and  labor  on  the  seventh  too."  The  com- 
mands are  opposite.  You  cannot  serve  both  these 
masters. 

I  do  not  enter  into  details.  I  assume  it  as  noto- 
rious that  the  thirst  for  gain  is  making  inroads  on 
the  Sabbath  rest — that  the  money-making  part  of 
the  community  are  gradually  extracting  seven 
clays'  work  out  of  the  working-man.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  collect  evidence.  The  thing  is  not 
done  in  a  corner.  The  volumes  of  smoke  hover- 
ing over  the  city  on  the  Sabbath-day,  and  the 
names  from  furnaces  lighting  up  the  sky  on  the 
Sabbath-night,  publish  the  tidings — proclaim  our 
shame.  Necessity  !  Oh,  the  plea  put  in  to  defend 
the  deed  is  the  most  odious  part  of  the  sin ! 
"What  man's  life  would  be  in  danger,  or  what 
man's  happiness  impaired,  if  these  furnaces  were 
deserted  on  the  Sabbath  ?  There  is  a  necessity, — 
the  necessity  that  compels  the  dropsied  man  to 
drink  —  the  necessity  that  compels  the  horse-leech 
to  draw  the  blood  of  its  victims.  There  is  the 
necessity  of  getting  some  men  made  rich,  at  the 
expense  of  the  souls  and  bodies  of  other  men. 
The  plea  of  necessity  resolves  itself  into  this :  "  I 
must  be  rich,  though  I  should  rob  God  of  his 
gl o ry,  and  my  brethren  of  their  birthright. ' '    "What 


OPPRESSION.  137 

right  have  you  to  keep  laboring-men  toiling  at 
these  fires  on  the  Sabbath?  The  rich,  who  in- 
crease their  wealth  in  this  way,  would  need  to  get 
much  good  out  of  their  gold.  It  is  a  costly  thing. 
The  very  souls  of  their  brethren  are  fuel  to  the 
flame  that  melts  it.  After  all,  this  desperate  shift 
to  increase  the  profits  at  the  expense  of  the  Sab- 
bath is  suicidal  and  abortive.  It  is  over  produc- 
tion that  propagates  these  dreadful  epidemics  in 
the  mercantile  body,  which  not  only  prostrate  the 
poor,  but  sweep  the  fortunes  of  the  rich  away. 

This  is  the  most  impudent  and  odious  form  that 
oppression  has  assumed  in  modem  times.  The 
adversaries  of  the  Sabbath  make  a  bold  effort  to 
persuade  the  laborer  that  they  are  on  his  side  — 
that  they  afford  him  an  easy  opportunity  of  im- 
proving his  circumstances.  It  is  demonstrable, 
that,  to  add  a  day's  toil  to  the  laborer's  week  will 
not  add  a  day's  wages  to  his  income.  A  great  pro- 
portion of  the  laboring  classes  now  know  that  well. 
When  they  are  found  to  be  on  the  alert  on  this 
side,  another  stratagem  is  tried  to  wile  the  Sab- 
bath away  from  them.  The  day  is  offered  for 
recreation.  This  proposal  involves  two  great  fal- 
lacies. The  first  is,  while  it  speaks  of  recreation 
only,  it  means  recreation  to  one  class  and  unceas- 
ing toil  to  another,  in  order  that  the  rich  may 


138  FRUIT    OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

make  more  money  out  of  both.  There  is  rotten- 
ness at  the  root  of  that  pleasure,  which  hinds  over- 
toiled brother-men  to  furnaces  and  engines  on  the 
Sabbath,  as  well  as  on  the  other  days  of  the  week. 
The  pleasure-seeker  on  a  Sabbath-excursion,  and 
the  speculator  on  the  dividend  day,  do  not  take 
into  account  the  neglected  families  of  the  men 
who  have  ministered  to  their  amusement  or  their 
profit  —  families  who  are  deprived  of  a  father's 
care,  and  are,  in  consequence,  soon  thrown  a  bur- 
den on  the  community.  But  another  fallacy  lies 
in  rich  men  offering  to  the  laborer  a  boon  out  of 
a  store  which  is  not  their  own.  If  men  will  not 
take  the  "word"  of  the  Sovereign  Creator,  chal- 
lenging the  Sabbath  to  himself,  the  decree  is  coun- 
tersigned by  his  "  ministers,"  the  laws  of  nature. 
Philosophy  can  read  from  the  records  of  nature, 
that  man  cannot  with  impunity  subject  his  fel- 
low-man to  unceasing  toil.  To  overtask  working- 
men  for  six  days,  and  then  invite  them  to  take 
physical  relaxation  out  of  the  Sabbath,  is  a  very 
aggravated  species  of  swindling.  It  is  like  the 
act  of  a  proprietor  who  should  seize  the  whole  of 
a  tenant's  crop,  and  then  persuade  the  bereaved 
man  to  take  as  much  as  will  support  his  family 
from  the  field  of  a  neighbor.  Avarice  would 
grind  a  man  during   six   days,  leaving   not  the 


OPPRESSION.  139 

needful  relaxation  to  restore  exhausted  nature,  and 
then  take  from  another — and  that  the  Lord  of  all 
— as  much  as  will  serve  to  keep  the  machine  going 
for  another  week.  This  is  to  prostitute  God's 
holy  day,  as  if  it  were  of  no  other  use  than  to  oil 
the  wheels  of  Mammon's  car.  The  pretence  of 
giving  the  workmen  recreation  on  the  Sabbath,  I 
count  an  aggravation  of  the  offence.  Men  ought 
not  to  be  toiled  so  constantly,  and  so  long,  and  so 
hard  during  the  six  days,  as  to  require  the  seventh, 
like  the  brutes,  for  mere  physical  recreation. 
Mammod  is  a  hard  master.  He  makes  his  sons 
go  through  the  fire. 

4.  Yet  another  oppression  let  me  name  —  The 
poor  are  in  a  great  measure  cooped  up  in  croivded 
lanes,  and  miserable  houses.  This  is  one  bitter 
fruit  of  a  general  selfishness.  This  evil,  which 
we  all  observe  and  lament,  is  demonstrably  owing 
to  a  systematic  neglect  of  a  law  of  God,  which 
enjoins  us  to  look  not  every  one  on  his  own 
things,  but  also  on  the  things  of  others.*     How 

[  *  There  is,  perhaps,  not  an  injunction  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment more  neglected  in  its  real  spirit  than  this,  which  re- 
quires us  "to  look  not  every  one  on  his  own  things,  but  also 
on  the  things  of  others."  It  springs  directly  from  the  Divine 
command  to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves  ;  but  its  require- 
ments have  neither  been  developed  in  our  religious  literature 
nor  obeyed  in  our  religious  life.  Whilst  it  is  clearly  our  duty 
to  take  care  of  ourselves,  it  is  made  as  clearly  our  duty  to  take 
15* 


140  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

to  make  the  most  of  it  is  the  law  which  is  per- 
mitted to  regulate  the  administration  of  property. 
Few  men,  indeed,  are  destitute  of  human  sym- 

care  of  others.  If  Christians  are  sufficiently  enlightened  to 
perceive  what  promotes  their  own  interests  and  comforts  and 
happiness  in  life,  they  can  understand  what  will  promote  the 
advantage  of  others,  and  they  are  bound  to  act  accordingly 
under  that  discretion,  as  stewards  of  Christ,  which  prudence 
and  charity  dictate.  If  they  will  have  laws  for  their  protec- 
tion and  the  protection  of  their  property,  they  should  see  that 
others  have  like  advantages,  and  especially  that  the  poor  and 
lowly  enjoy  protection  for  their  labor,  which  is  their  chief 
and  often  only  possession.  If  they  are  careful  to  secure  an 
adequate  income  for  their  support,  they  should  be  careful 
that  the  laborer,  who  has  no  other  income,  and  no  means  of 
living,  but  his  wages,  should  be  secure,  not  only  of  labor,  but 
of  sufficient  compensation  for  his  toil.  If  they  live  in  com- 
fortable houses,  they  should  be  anxious  that  the  humble  and 
the  poor  should  not  be  without  some  degree  of  that  comfort. 
If  they  enjoy  the  full  light  of  the  Gospel,  they  should  endeavor 
to  make  it  shine  upon  the  poor:  if  they  bestow  all  the 
advantages  of  education  upon  their  own  children,  they  should 
remember  the  children  of  others.  Thus  we  might  run 
through  the  whole  compass  of  our  enjoyments,  physical,  intel- 
lectual, moral,  and  religious,  and  show  that  we  are  as  much 
bound  to  impart,  as  we  are  entitled  to  enjoy,  the  advantages 
of  life.  We  must  remember,  too,  that  this  obligation  is 
equally  as  imperative  upon  us  in  our  collective  as  in  our 
individual  capacities.  A  nation  may  be  unduly  selfish  as 
well  as  an  individual :  — a  denomination  or  church  as  well  as 
a  single  Christian.  These  must  regard  the  welfare  of  others 
as  well  as  their  own :  and  while  it  is  true  that  nations  and 
denominations,  and  other  collective  bodies,  derive  vigor  and 
strength  from  their  association,  they  must  not  use  that  strength 
to  injure  others  —  nay,  they  must  use  it  to  help  others.     But 


OPPRESSION.  141 

pathy.  Many  partial  alleviations  are  effected  by 
the  personal  kindness  of  individuals ;  but  these 
desultory  efforts  do  not  tell  with  much  effect  on 
the  aggregate  result.  The  general  law  overbears 
the  isolated  exceptions,  and  that  law  is  so  to  dis- 
pose of  each  item  of  property  as  to  yield  the 
largest  possible  per  centage  of  pecuniary  return. 
This  dreadful  law  is  even  now  squeezing  wretched 
families  into  wretched  holes,  and  so  preparing 
rank  disease,  physical  and  spiritual,  for  the  com- 
munity in  the  coming  days.  The  money-making 
spirit  of  the  age  is  a  short-sighted  passion.  It  is 
penny  wise,  and  pound  foolish.  A  large  infusion 
of  Christian  charity  would  make  it  not  only  more 
godly,  but  more  gainful. 

In  regard  to  these  and  other  species  of  oppres- 
sion, it  is  difficult  to  make  either  the  man  himself 
or  the  public  understand  how  far  the  wide-spread 
sufferings  of  the  poor  have  been  caused  by  the 
desperate  efforts  of  a  money-maker.  The  effects 
come  after  the  cause  has  passed  by,   and   they 

the  topic  cannot  be  treated  in  a  note.  If  fully  enlarged,  it 
would  cast  a  flood  of  light  upon  many  denominational  mea- 
sures of  the  present  day,  especially  that  one  of  separate 
denominational  education,  which  cannot  be  carried  out  with- 
out destroying  the  public  School  System.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  the  Presbyterians  and  Roman  Catholics  should  be 
the  most  interested  in  this  mistaken  policy.  —  C] 


142  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

appear  at  a  distance  from  his  track.  Around  his 
path  all  seems  smooth ;  and  when,  long  after  and 
far  distant,  multitudes  of  the  poor  are  thrown 
into  agony,  few  think  of  him  as  the  guilty  cause. 
A  ship  may  sail  down  the  river,  or  along  its 
estuary,  gliding  gently  with  the  current,  or  even 
impelled  by  the  breath  of  the  sky,  and  the  ripple 
on  its  sides  will  be  scarcely  perceptible.  Even 
after  it  has  passed,  there  is  no  commotion  on  the 
shore.  All  is  natural,  and  easy,  and  harmless.  But 
when  a  ship  impelled  by  steam  passes  by  —  a  ship 
agitated  onward  by  a  tierce  energy  put  forth  from 
its  own  bosom,  forcing  forward  itself  with  unna- 
tural speed,  by  dashing  backward  whatever  comes 
within  its  reach  —  the  commotion  in  the  direct 
wake  of  that  ship  may  not  be  great,  but,  after  the 
ship  has  passed,  and,  it  may  be,  gone  out  of  sight, 
a  commotion  begins  far  away  on  either  shore. 
Waves  rise  suddenly,  and  as  if  without  a  cause, 
from  the  deep ;  the  surge  lashes  the  shore  with 
successive,  hasty,  angry  strokes.  After  raging 
ominously  for  awhile,  it  gradually  dies  away 
again.  It  has  come  and  gone,  you  cannot  tell 
how  or  why ;  and,  even  when  it  has  gone,  you 
are  uneasy  in  the  silence  that  succeeds,  for  you 
know  not  when  it  may  return.  It  was  the  eager, 
artificial,  impatient,  desperate  struggling  forward 


OPPRESSION.  143 

of  that  ship  that  produced  the  commotion  far 
away  on  the  river's  hanks  after  it  had  passed  by. 
Though  the  ship  had  been  large  and  deeply  laden, 
if  it  had  only  taken  advantage  of  fanning  winds 
and  currents,  it  would  have  left  no  such  abnormal 
agitation  behind. 

We  have  been  describing  in  allegory  the  passage 
of  a  wrestling,  wriggling  money-maker  through 
the  crowded  stream  of  life.  Forward  he  will  be 
—  forward  faster  than  hj  legitimate  means  he  can 
accomplish  —  faster  than  he  can  go  by  spreading 
his  sail  to  the  breeze.  In  order  to  impel  himself 
forward,  he  strikes  back  every  thing  around  that 
he  can  lean  upon.  He  strikes  fast  and  vehement. 
Though  few  have  marked  his  motions,  because 
of  his  motions  there  is  a  frightful  surge  of  suffer- 
ing afterwards  on  the  outer  edges  of  society. 
Sufferings  sudden,  and  sharp,  and  thick,  come 
over  the  laboring  poor  —  sufferings  under  which 
they  sink,  without  being  able  to  divine  their 
cause.  Meantime,  that  cause  has  turned  round 
a  headland,  and  has  safely  reached  the  ocean,  or 
has  been  thrown  on  a  rock  by  the  vehemence  of 
its  own  motion,  as  the  case  may  be.  "Whether 
the  speculator  ultimately  make  or  wreck  his  own 
fortune,  his  convulsive  effort  has  pressed  and 
oppressed  the  poor. 


144  FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

Conceive  the  force  operating  now  within  this 
city  in  the  direction  of  money-making.  If  all  the 
energies  that  are  expended  in  that  direction  were 
added,  how  vast  would  the  sum  of  them  be  !  I 
know  not  a  speculation  more  interesting  than 
this.  We  are  accustomed  to  such  statistics,  and 
such  summations.  In  modern  times  great  errors 
are  corrected,  and  great  public  benefits  attained, 
by  the  accurate  enumeration  of  certain  forces  all 
acting  separately,  and  the  computation  of  their 
united  power.  It  can  be  told  in  a  single  line  of 
figures  how  many  tons  of  shipping  are  owned  in 
the  port  of  Glasgow.  It  can  be  told  in  a  line  of 
figures  how  great  an  aggregate  of  steam-power  is 
operating  in  and  around  the  city.  Now,  conceive, 
if  we  had  a  notation  to  mark  the  energies  exerted 
by  a  human  mind,  and  if  we  had  correct  statistics 
of  all  the  energies  that  are  yearly  expended  in  this 
city  in  the  making  of  money,  and  if  these  in  their 
aggregate  could  be  represented  in  a  line  of  figures, 
how  great,  how  dreadfully  great,  would  that  ag- 
gregate be  !  It  would  represent  a  power  which, 
if  collected  and  united,  and  turned  upon  the  city's 
filth,  and  poverty,  and  ignorance,  would  sweep 
them  away,  as  the  stream  of  a  mighty  river  rolling 
down  our  streets  would  carry  off  the  mire  that 
had  accumulated  on  their  surface. 


OPPRESSION.  145 

I  cannot  walk  in  upon  a  merchant  in  his  count- 
ing-house, and  charge  him  individually  with  the 
guilt  of  unjustly  diminishing  a  laborer's  wages, 
of  forcing  a  tender  child  into  the  toils  appointed 
for  manhood,  of  intercepting  God's  gift  of  rest 
from  his  weary  creatures,  or  of  immuring  a  family 
in  a  den  not  fit  to  he  the  residence  of  a  human 
being.  I  cannot  make  any  such  specific  charge 
against  a  brother ;  but  this  is  nothing  more  than 
to  say  that  I  cannot  judge  the  world.  The  world 
has  a  Judge  notwithstanding,  and  before  His 
judgment-seat  we  must  all  appear.  The  line  of 
causes  and  effects  in  the  relations  of  an  artificial 
society  is  not  too  intricate  for  the  Omniscient. 
The  Judge  of  all  the  earth  knows  every  man's 
share  of  the  evil  that  is  done  under  the  sun,  and 
He  will  execute  righteous  judgment.  The  day 
will  declare  the  division  of  responsibility.  All 
that  I  can  do  is  to  reiterate  the  statement  that  the 
poor  and  ignorant  are  kept  in  a  state  of  poverty 
and  ignorance  by  the  absorption  of  those  energies, 
in  the  aggregate,  on  the  accumulation  of  wealth, 
which  ought  to  be  devoted  to  the  doing  of  good. 
The  broad,  deep  stream  of  human  energy  is  made 
to  play  idly  upon  money-making,  the  only  result 
being  to  drive  round  a  huge  dizzy  wheel,  which 
adds  nothing  to  human  happiness;  while  mere 


146  THE   FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS  — 

driblets  are  turned  aside  upon  good  to  others, 
scarcely  sufficient  to  turn  the  proper  machinery 
round,  and  not  fitted  to  make  any  sensible  im- 
pression on  the  accumulated  mass  of  sin  and 
misery.* 

I  address  a  concluding  word  to  those  who  bear 
Christ's  name,  and  hope  in  his  mercy.  Let  us 
think  of  the  position  which  He  has  given  us,  and 
the  work  which  he  requires  at  our  hands.  If  we 
are  bought  with  a  price,  we  are  not  our  own. 
The  redemption  of  the  soul  is  precious :  it  is  the 
greatest  thing.  Wherefore  has  our  dear  Redeemer 
shed  his  blood  for  us  ?     Wherefore  has  he  taken 

[*  There  are  several  passages  in  these  discourses,  which 
might  be  seized  upon  by  those  who  are  ever  ready  to  cry  — 
"  You  are  employing  language  calculated  to  increase  the 
prejudice  of  the  poor  against  the  rich — you  are  widening 
the  breach,  too  wide  already  —  you  are  lending  yourself  to 
the  slang  of  socialism."  The  Preacher  has,  however,  kept 
within  due  bounds  on  a  subject  which  deserves  to  be  treated 
plainly,  even  at  the  risk  of  touching  this  kind  of  sensitiveness. 
We  are  very  far  from  desiring  to  disturb  any  kindly  relations 
subsisting  between  the  rich  and  the  poor ;  but  we  hold  that 
the  selfishness  which  is  natural  to  man,  and  which  is  increased 
in  "  the  race  for  riches,"  should  be  clearly  pointed  out,  with 
its  consequences.  The  rich  may  do  vast  injury  to  the  poor, 
whilst  only  intending  to  benefit  themselves.  They  should  be 
taught  to  study  and  understand  the  social  results  of  "  the 
race  for  riches" — by  every  path  which  the  "  runners  take." 
No  false  delicacy  should  shut  our  mouths  on  a  topic  so  vital 
to  human  welfare.  —  C] 


oppression.  147 

our  nature,  and  given  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin  ? 
Is  it  that  we  may  "realize  something?"  Is  it 
that  we  may  "make  a  fortune?"  Is  it  that  we 
may  "die  worth  many  thousands?"  The  very 
sound  of  the  questions  gives  a  rude  shock  to  your 
minds.  You  shrink  from  these  suggestions  as 
blasphemous  paradox.  But,  startling  though 
these  propositions  be,  they  are  but  common 
practice  clothed  in  plain  language.  You  will 
not  deliberately  propose  to  spend  yourselves  for 
money,  and  yet  nearly  all  your  souls  may  be 
given  to  money  notwithstanding.  "I  go,  sir," 
said  the  son,  when  the  father  commanded  him  to 
work  in  his  garden  —  "I  go,  sir,"  he  said,  with 
an  unquestioning  acquiescence  ;  but  he  "  went 
not." 

If  we  had  in  this  city  twenty  thousand  men  of 
average  mental  culture,  and  average  strength  of 
purpose — all  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  their  minds  ; 
all  walking  over  earth  as  already  the  heirs  of  hea- 
ven ;  all  feeling  that  they  owe  their  redemption  to 
Christ,  and  that  they  will  soon  be  with  him ;  all 
knowing  that  he  leaves  them  a  little  while  in  the 
world,  to  afford  them  an  opportunity  of  doing 
good  there ;  all  hastening  to  do  as  much  for  the 
needy  as  they  can  before  they  are  taken  to  heaven, 
where  no  needy  will  be  within  their  reach — twenty 
16 


148       FRUIT   OF   COVETOUSNESS —  OPPRESSION. 

thousand  such  men,  and  this  wilderness  would 
soon  blossom  like  the  rose !  Twenty  thousand 
such  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  armies  of 
the  aliens  would  wither  like  the  mown  grass  before 
them ! 

.But  let  every  one  of  you,  in  particular,  live  not 
to  himself,  and  not  for  money.  "Follow  after 
love.''1  I  am  persuaded  that  a  very  great  revolu- 
tion of  ideas  is  needed  to  bring  us  unto  a  right 
state  of  mind  in  regard  to  these  matters.  Christ 
gets  fair  words ;  but  self  and  the  world  get  the 
most  of  our  hearts  and  hands. 

To  seek  the  things  of  others — to  do  good  to  the 
needy,  even  to  the  unthankful  and  evil — to  spend 
your  life  in  the  Father's  business, — this  is  to  keep 
company  with  Jesus.  This  is  the  way  by  which 
he  went.  The  sweetness  of  the  society  will  make 
the  labor  feel  light. 

Oh  that  we  had  hearts  lighted  up  with  love  — 
lighted  at  the  love  of  Jesus  !  Oh  that  we  could 
go  through  the  world  as  his  companions,  acting 
as  parts  of  him,  left  behind  awhile  in  the  body, 
looking  on  men  as  he  looked,  and  acting  as  he 
acted,  until  the  faithful  servant  is  taken  unto  the 
joy  of  his  Lord  ! 


LECTURE  VI 

MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS  TO  THEIR  CHIL- 
DREN. 

"And  Manoah  said,  Xow  let  thy  words  come  to  pass:  how 
shall  we  order  the  child  ?  and  what  shall  we  do  unto 
him?"  —  Judges  xiii.  12. 

It  comes  out  incidentally,  but  not  the  less  cer- 
tainly, in  the  teaching  of  the  Lord,  that  parents 
are  in  some  matters  naturally  capable  of  making 
the  best  choice  for  their  offspring.  "Ye  being 
evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  chil- 
dren."—  (Luke  xi.  13.)  Although  they  are  evil, 
there  are  some  things  in  which  they  can  act  aright. 
Sin  has  not  unfitted  man  for  every  kind  of  action. 
The  will  is  depraved,  and  the  understanding  dark- 
ened ;  but  there  are  certain  instincts  implanted  in 
nature  for  good  that  remain  in  force  still.  What 
man  has  in  common  with  the  brutes — certain  ten- 
dencies that  contribute  to  the  well-being  of  the 
animal  economy — may  be  trusted,  even  when  the 
higher  faculties  are  deranged.  If  the  question 
relate  to  the  kind  of  food  that  should  be  given  to 

(149) 


150  MONEY   BEQUEATHED    BY   PATIENTS 

his  child — whether  apiece  of  "bread  or  a  stone, 
whether  a  fish  or  a  serpent  —  the  man  is  capable 
of  judging.  He  may,  in  certain  extreme  cases, 
become  so  depraved  as  to  do  evil  even  there ;  but 
still  he  knows  well  enough  what  is  good  for  his 
child,  and  as  a  general  rule  he  yields  to  this  pa- 
rental instinct,  and  acts  according  to  his  know- 
ledge. Like  the  instincts  of  the  lower  animals, 
the  trustworthy  knowledge  in  man  has  respect  to 
the  immediate  necessities  of  the  body.  It  cannot 
look  far  forward.  Whenever  you  enter  the  do- 
main of  the  higher  reason,  man  is  exceedingly  apt 
to  err.  "When  he  begins  to  exercise  those  powers 
which  distinguish  him  from  meaner  creatures,  he 
misses  the  mark  very  frequently,  and  very  far. 
That  part  of  his  being  has  been  more  deranged 
by  sin.  It  does  not  perform  its  office  aright  in 
the  human  economy. 

When  a  parent  looks  forward  and  attempts  to 
provide  for  the  future  of  his  child, — when  he 
essays  to  shape  the  course  of  a  young  immortal 
committed  to  his  care,  he  is  more  at  a  loss  than  in 
the  matter  of  choosing  what  food  should  be  given 
to  a  hungry  infant.  It  is  when  a  man  is  called  to 
do  for  his  offspring  what  the  lower  creatures  can- 
not do,  that  he  most  signally  fails.  He  is  insuf- 
ficient for  these  things. 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  151 

It  is  an  instinct  of  tlie  new  nature,  a  mental 
habit  of  a  believing  man,  whenever  be  comes  to  a 
matter  too  difficult  for  himself,  to  ask  help  of 
God ;  when,  from  any  cause,  his  heart  is  over- 
whelmed, his  constant  cry  is,  "  Lead  me  to  the 
Rock  that  is  higher  than  I."  When  a  Christian 
parent  thinks  how  much  more  is  required  of  him 
in  regard  to  his  children  than  to  give  them  whole- 
some  food, — when  he  thinks  of  the  influence  of 
parental  training  and  example,  not  only  on  this 
life,  but  on  the  preparation  for  a  coming  world, — 
when  he  considers  how  much  is  to  be  done,  and 
how  incapable  he  is  of  doing  it,  he  will  be  con- 
strained to  ask  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above. 

Earnestly  and  simply  did  Manoah  take  the 
readiest  way  of  ascertaining  the  mind  of  the  Lord 
regarding  the  up-bringing  of  his  promised  off- 
spring. Addressing  the  messenger  who  had  borne 
to  him  the  glad  tidings,  he  said,  "  How  shall  we 
order  the  child,  and  how  shall  it  be  done  unto 
him  ?"  Under  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  and 
the  ministration  of  the  Spirit,  it  is  our  duty  to  go 
and  do  likewise.  When,  in  the  matter  of  order- 
ing children  for  time  and  eternity,  we  feel  our- 
selves unfit,  we  must  take  the  means  which  the 
better  dispensation  affords  us  for  getting  help  from 
the  Lord.  We  must  search  the  Word,  and  ask 
16* 


152  MONEY   BEQUEATHED    BY    PARENTS 

the  Spirit  to  teach  us  out  of  it  how  it  should  be 
clone  unto  the  child.  What  I  know  not,  teach 
thou  me. 

This  parental  anxiety  has  reference  to  the  whole 
treatment  of  the  child.  It  comprehends  the  edu- 
cation in  childhood,  the  profession  to  he  chosen 
in  youth,  and  the  provision  to  he  left  behind  when 
you  die.  It  has  reference  to  the  child's  health  and 
station  in  society,  to  the  development  of  his  mind, 
and  the  renewal  of  his  nature ;  it  has  reference  to 
the  influence  on  him  which  may  be  exerted  by 
society,  by  learning,  by  wealth.  In  short,  the 
intelligent  and  affectionate  Christian  parent's 
anxiety  about  his  child,  reaches  to  every  thing 
that  may  affect  that  child  for  good  or  evil,  in  body 
or  soul. 

Of  the  many  influences  which  bear  on  the 
child's  well-being,  and  which  the  parent  may  in 
some  measure  control,  I  select  at  present  only  one. 
I  limit  the  question  to  one  object,  and  read  it,  How 
shall  we  order  the  child  in  regard  to  money  f  The 
estimate,  the  acquisition,  the  possession,  the  use, 
the  loss  of  money,  have  a  very  material  influence 
on  the  character,  and  station,  and  happiness  of 
our  children,  in  youth  and  onward  to  age.  In 
these,  as  in  other  matters,  parents  have  much  in 
their  power.     By  their  method  of  ordering  the 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  153 

child  in  these  things,  they  may  do  much  good  or 
much  evil.  Great  benefit  will  accrue  to  the  family 
if  the  parents  ascertain  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  and 
act  on  it,  in  arrangements  regarding  the  acquisi- 
tion and  disposal  of  money. 

From  the  nature  of  the  subject,  our  remarks 
must  be  of  a  somewhat  miscellaneous  character ; 
but  in  order  to  give  them  some  definite  form,  we 
shall  arrange  them  under  the  three  following 
heads : — 

I.  Training  in  early  childhood. 

II.  The  choice  and  opening  up  of  a  path  for 
active  life. 

HI.  Portions  amassed  by  parents,  and  be- 
queathed at  death  to  their  children. 

I.  In  respect  of  money,  how  shall  we  order  the 
child — the  little  child  ?  At  first  sight,  the  subject 
may  seem  out  of  place  here.  How  can  you  lec- 
ture an  infant  either  on  the  proper  value  of  money, 
or  on  the  preposterous  value  that  is  often  foolishly 
attached  to  it  ?  Every  thing  in  its  own  place  and 
time.  You  are  not  to  communicate  to  the  child 
at  first  all  your  own  matured  conclusions  on  these 
subjects  ;  but  you  must  have  matured  conclusions 
on  these  subjects  before  you  are  fit  for  training 
your  child.     It  requires  one  with  a  ripe  judgment 


151     MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

on  the  whole  case  to  impart  a  safe  direction  to  the 
infant  mind,  as  it  enters  on  the  most  elementary 
ideas.  It  requires  one  who  knows  the  whole  way 
to  lead  another  over  the  steps  of  it.  It  is  as  neces- 
sary that  the  first  steps  be  in  a  right  direction  as 
that  the  last  should  be  so.  The  first  openings  of 
intelligence  in  childhood  are  the  commencement 
of  the  notions,  and  principles,  and  habits,  that 
will  regulate  the  life.  It  is  of  vital  importance 
that  education  on  all  subjects  that  concern  life 
should  begin  early. 

Of  all  the  temporal  things  with  which  your 
child  will  come  into  contact  in  life,  it  is  probable 
that  none  will  exert  a  greater  influence  on  him 
than  money.  The  formation  of  his  earliest  con- 
ceptions regarding  it  should  not  be  left  to  chance. 
Since  your  child  must  some  day  come  into  colli- 
sion with  that  mighty  agent,  you  ought,  as  far  as 
it  is  in  your  power,  to  mould  his  mind  so  that  the 
inevitable  collision  will  be  safe,  and  even  profit- 
able to  him. 

A  ship  making  way  through  the  sea,  and  leav- 
ing no  track  of  its  path,  is  in  many  features  like 
an  immortal  being  moving  over  the  course  of 
time.  The  wind-distended  sails  are  the  motive 
impulses  of  the  soul,  urging  the  immortal  on. 
The   rudder  is  the  will,  giving   direction   to  his 


TO   THEIR    CHILDREN.  155 

course.  The  compass  is  the  conceiving,  judging 
mind.  According  to  that  mind's  conceptions,  the 
active  will  directs  the  motion  to  the  right  hand  or 
to  the  left.  The  currents,  rushing  now  this  way 
and  now  that,  strong  and  impetuous,  are  like 
those  temptations  that  are  in  the  world,  from 
many  opposite  quarters  secretly  besetting  the  soul. 
The  rocks  and  shoals  are  instruments  of  perdition 
to  those  who  are  driven  away  by  their  lusts.  If 
you  have  successfully  breasted  these  currents  hith- 
erto, and  cleared  these  rocks,  certain  it  is  you 
have  seen  some  of  goodly  promise,  who  began  the 
voyage  with  you,  making  shipwreck  there.  In 
especial,  the  love  of  money  —  perhaps  you  have 
yourselves  felt  the  force  of  that  current,  and  seen 
others  caught  in  it,  and  cast  away.  Others  you 
have  seen  grazing  the  rock  of  perdition,  and 
"  scarcely  saved."  After  all  this  experience,  if  you 
should  have  any  share  in  fitting  out  another  ship 
for  the  same  voyage,  you  would  fain  touch  the 
magnet,  and  give  it  a  bias  in  the  direction  of  safety, 
against  the  current  which  you  know  to  be  strong. 
The  mind  of  your  little  child  is  the  directing  com- 
pass of  a  ship  that  must  stem  these  currents. 
Impress  thereon  a  bias  against  the  danger.  Begin 
early  to  influence  the  infant  mind.  Instrumentally, 
the  safety  of  the  course  and  the  glad  arrival  depend 


156      MONET  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

much  on  the  start  that  your  child  may  get  from  a 
parent's  hand. 

Show  the  child  early  the  use  of  money — its  use 
in  obtaining  necessaries,  and  in  promoting  works 
of  benevolence.  Train  the  child  in  the  right  di- 
rection as  to  the  estimate  of  money,  as  to  its  use, 
and  as  to  the  objects  on  which  it  should  be  ex- 
pended. In  after  life  he  will  have  much  to  do 
with  it  —  teach  him  betimes  to  handle  it  aright. 
It  is  of  much  practical  importance  that  young 
children  should  be  accustomed  themselves  to  have, 
to  keep,  and  to  use  money.  They  should  not  only 
by  precept  be  taught,  but  by  experienced  trained, 
to  know  that  it  is  wrong  to  throw  it  uselessly 
away,  and  to  know  the  blessedness  of  giving  for 
the  good  of  those  that  need.  There  is  more  power 
than  most  of  us  are  yet  aware  of  in  the  practice 
of  letting  children  have  some  pence  of  their  own, 
to  be  laid  out  according  to  their  own  judgment, 
or  given  in  charity  on  the  impulse  of  their  own 
will.  Of  course,  there  will  be  a  continuous  effort 
to  imbue  the  child's  mind  with  correct  ideas,  but 
there  should  not  be  direct  interference  with  the 
freedom  of  his  act.  I  would  rather  see  an  occa- 
sional mistake,  which  might  afterwards  be  turned 
to  good  account,  than  make  him  a  mere  agent  in 
executing  my  order.     It  is  not  his  hand,  but  his 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  157 

will  that  is  to  be  exercised,  and  influenced,  and 
trained.  It  is  but  a  little  act  —  the  miniature,  as 
it  were,  of  a  good  deed ;  but  it  derives  its  import- 
ance from  being  the  act  of  a  little  man  —  one  who 
will  soon  be  acting  a  man's  part  on  the  wide  arena 
of  the  world.  The  infant  is  the  germ  of  the  man. 
The  infant's  habits,  and  likings,  and  actings,  are 
the  rivulet,  already  settling  its  direction,  which 
will  soon  swell  into  the  strong  stream  of  life. 

II.  In  respect  of  money,  how  shall  we  order  the 
youth  as  to  the  choice  and  opening  up  of  his  path 
in  life?  My  object  is  no  cynical  fault-finding 
with  existing  things  —  no  exaggerated  condemna- 
tion of  all  my  neighbors,  and  of  every  thing  they 
do.  I  would  like  to  expose  your  own  errors  with 
the  human  kindliness  that  will  not  repel,  and  yet 
with  the  faithfulness  that  will  not  deceive  you. 
I  bid  you  consider  what  your  aim  has  been  in  the 
choice  of  openings  for  your  children.  Has  your 
conduct  in  this  matter  been  like  the  worshippers 
of  God,  or  of  Mammon  ?  This  is  one  of  the  things 
pointed  out  in  a  preceding  discourse,  in  which  the 
right  and  the  wrong  approach  and  seem  to  blend 
imperceptibly  into  each  other.  It  is  difficult  to 
discover  where  the  line  lies  that  separates  between 
the  desire  of  an  honest  livelihood,  and  the  miser's 


158     MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS. 

lust  of  gain.  Yet  there  is  such  a  line,  though  we 
may  experience  difficulty  in  discerning  it.  God 
knows  it,  though  we  do  not.  This  uncertainty 
should  increase  our  watchfulness.  The  wary  sea- 
man will  give  an  undefined  sunken  rock  a  good 
offing.  He  will  take  care  to  err  on  the  safe  side. 
The  general  rule  is,  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added."  If  this  law  were  faithfully  car- 
ried into  practice,  we  would  be  safe.  Deal  hon- 
estly with  yourselves  when  the  prospect  of  an 
advantageous  settlement  appears.  Judge  righte- 
ous judgment,  first  as  to  the  facts  of  the  case, 
whether  the  money-interest  and  the  soul's  interest 
be  in  opposition.  Then,  secondly,  if  so,  judge 
which  of  the  two  should  be  allowed  to  go  to  the 
wall.  Does  the  soul's  safety  overrule  the  prospect 
of  wealth  ?  or  does  the  prospect  of  wealth  silence 
your  anxieties  about  the  soul's  safety  ? 

If  your  child  should  be  cast  away  by  the  tempt- 
ations to  which  you  exposed  him,  what  a  living 
worm  are  you  preparing  to  feed  upon  your  own 
heart !     One's  spirit  melts  at  the  very  thought. 

In  the  management  of  your  families,  whether 
is  the  desire  to  make  them  rich,  or  the  desire  to 
have  them  saved,  the  greater  power  ?  The  Lord 
is  surely  at  this  day  requiring  of  his  disciples  that 


TO   THEIR    CHILDREN.  159 

they  shall  take  a  side,  as  between  his  sendee  and 
that  of  Mammon.  He  requires  of  us  to  let  it  be 
seen  in  the  world  and  felt  in  our  household,  that 
we  value  him  more  than  money.  We  may  have 
been  amazed  at  the  mingled  perfidy  and  stupidity 
of  Judas,  when  we  have  seen  him  weighing  Christ 
and  his  own  soul  against  the  miserable  thirty 
pieces  of  silver.  But  there  are  more  traitors  than 
one  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  He  is  still 
betrayed  in  the  house  of  his  friends.  In  the 
balance  of  parental  anxieties,  lwvv  often  yet  is 
silver  preferred  to  the  Holy  One  ! 

All  of  us  who  place  our  hope  of  salvation  in  the 
Eternal  Son  of  God  avouch  him  to  be  our  Head. 
He  is  the  Head  not  only  of  the  church,  and  of  the 
world  for  the  church,  but  also  the  Head  of  every 
man  who  is  a  member  of  the  church.  To  be  the 
Head  is  not  an  empty  name.  The  confession  of 
it  on  our  part  is  mere  hypocrisy  unless  it  be  ope- 
rative, predominating,  controlling.  Of  necessity 
some  one  must  rule  in  your  household ;  and  if  ye 
say  to  Jesus,  "Lord,  Lord,"  while  the  love  of 
money  shapes  all  your  family  arrangements,  what 
are  you  doing  but  choosing  the  silver  and  betray- 
ing the  Lord  ? 

I  do  not  ask  any  parent  to  bind  his  son  to  a 
poor  trade,  if  a  more  profitable  one  is  within  his 
17 


160      MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

reach ;  but  I  demand  of  every  parent,  as  he  owes 
allegiance  to  the  King  of  kings,  that  he  have  and 
manifest  a  supreme  concern  for  the  spiritual  life 
of  his  children,  and  that,  under  the  guidance  of 
this  ruling  passion,  he  frame  his  plans  and  make 
his  arrangements  for  their  outset  in  the  world. 
If  one  aim  has  an  actual  supremacy,  others  will 
easily  glide  into  subordinate  positions.  If  the  eye 
be  single,  the  whole  body  will  be  full  of  light; 
but  a  double-minded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his 
ways.  Unstable,  indeed,  is  the  way  of  that  man 
who  maintains  a  Christian  profession,  and  yet 
makes  money  his  chief  end.  His  path  is  uneasy, 
especially  within  his  own  house.  His  family  ob- 
serve his  inconsistency,  and  he  lives  under  the 
fear  that  they  will  observe  it.  He  hides  it  as  well 
as  he  can,  and  yet  manifests  the  consciousness  of 
hypocrisy  detected.  Perhaps  this  is  in  part  the 
reason  why  sometimes  the  sons  of  even  eminent 
professors  of  religion  turn  out  irreligious  men.  I 
confess  it  is  hard  to  be  consistent  in  these  matters. 
It  is  always  hard  to  crucify  the  flesh.  It  is  hard 
to  cut  off  a  right  hand ;  but  it  is  better  to  endure 
that  hardness  than  to  let  the  bands  of  covet- 
ousness  compass  about  your  soul,  until  they  grow 
into  chains  of  everlasting  darkness. 

Under  the  head  of  provision  made  for  an  outset 


TO   THEIR   CHILDREN.  161 

in  life,  the  subject  of  matrimonial  alliance  deserves 
special  notice.  Here,  again,  I  throw  in  the  caveat, 
that  I  intend  no  morose  opposition  to  nature.  I 
wage  no  war  with  the  instincts  of  the  species.  I 
would  "  live  and  let  live."  I  am  not  your  enemy 
as  to  the  enjoyments  of  time ;  but  I  must  tell  you 
the  truth  for  the  sake  of  your  eternity.  The  rich 
may  marry  as  well  as  the  poor.  In  this  they  sin 
not.  But  to  marry  for  the  sake  of  money  is  a 
degradation  of  the  human  being,  and  a  prostitu- 
tion of  the  good  ordinance  of  God.  It  is  fraught 
with  danger  to  present  peace  and  future  salvation. 
Filthy  lucre  !  Never  does  the  love  of  gain  appear 
more  loathsome  than  when  it  stalks  forth,  peering 
and  prying  into  societies  and  families  in  quest  of 
a  fortune  to  determine  a  marriage.  It  is  woman 
—  soul  and  body  made  by  God,  fearfully  and  won- 
derfully made, — it  is  woman  that  is  an  help-meet 
for  man,  and  not  money,  the  work  of  his  own 
hands.  History  indicates  that  the  Lord  in  provi- 
dence peculiarly  defends  the  integrity  of  his  own 
appointment  in  marriage.  I  know  of  nothing  in 
which  sin  more  surely  finds  the  sinner  out  than 
in  this.  In  many  cases,  occurring  from  day  to 
day  on  the  wide  theatre  of  the  world,  and  exposed 
to  public  observation,  the  fortune-hunter  is  bitten 
to  the  quick.     The  man  who  chooses  a  wife,  as 


162     MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

other  people  would  choose  a  purse,  according  to 
the  amount  of  money  it  contains,  is  running  his 
head  against  one  of  the  fixtures  inserted  by  the 
Almighty  in  the  constitution  of  things.  In  that 
constitution  there  is  a  self-acting  apparatus  of 
retribution.  The  rash  step  of  the  selfish  trans- 
gressor has  set  the  machine  in  motion.  Its  unseen 
lever  is  lifted  over  his  head.  In  due  time  it  will 
fall,  and  it  will  not  miss  the  mark.  He  will  be 
left  to  drag  out  a  life  of  disappointment  —  to  pine 
unpitied  in  an  unhappy  home. 

III.  How  shall  we  order  the  child  in  respect  to 
the  acquisition  and  accumulation  of  money  to  be 
bequeathed  as  his  portion  f  Neither  on  this  head 
do  I  wage  war  against  the  affections  of  nature.  I 
do  not  wish  any  parent  to  love  his  child  less.  I 
count  it  both  unnatural  and  ungodly  to  disinherit 
children  in  order  to  gratify  a  parent's  dislike,  or 
his  whim,  or  his  superstition.  I  speak  as  to 
Christian  parents  who  love  their  children,  and 
who  desire  to  love  them  in  the  Lord.  I  assume 
that  your  chief  earthly  concern  is  for  your  chil- 
dren, and  that  your  weightiest  care  for  time  is 
how  you  may  do  best  for  them  during  your  life, 
and  at  your  death.  Assuming  all  this,  I  invite 
your  attention  to  that  most  difficult  and  interest- 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  163 

ing  question,  Hoiv  can  you  make  your  money  most 
useful  to  you?'  children  ? 

Beware  of  tacitly  acting  on  the  supposition  that 
the  more  money  you  leave  to  them,  the  more  good 
you  will  do  to  them.  Kone,  I  know,  would  enter- 
tain this  principle,  and  announce  this  formula  as 
the  rule  of  his  life  ;  but  the  greatest  practical  dan- 
gers arise  from  the  tacit  assumption  of  a  principle 
which  you  would  repudiate  if  it  were  formally 
proposed.  Many  parents  do  act  in  the  same  way 
as  they  would  if  the  rule  of  their  life  were  to  add 
as  much  as  possible  to  the  fortune  of  their  chil- 
dren. This  course  is  obviously  unwise.  When 
we  come  to  particulars,  however,  we  are  met  by 
the  difficulty  of  laying  down  a  rule  that  will  apply 
to  all  cases.  If  one  should  reply,  Granted  that 
parents  who  have  much  in  their  power  should  set 
a  limit  to  the  amount  to  be  bequeathed  to  their 
families,  but  what  is  that  limit  ?  I  cannot  answer 
that  question.  The  question  admits  of  as  many 
answers  as  there  are  families  in  the  world.  AVe 
cannot  specify  a  sum,  and  say  it  is  lawful  for  a 
Christian  parent  to  bequeath  so  much  to  his  child, 
but  unlawful  to  exceed  it.  But  it  does  not  follow 
from  this  that  a  Christian  is  at  liberty  to  scrape 
together  as  much  money  as  he  can  during  his 
life,  and  simply  bequeath  it  to  his  children  when 
17* 


164      MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

he  comes  to  die.  Although  no  specific  rule  can 
be  laid  down,  some  useful  suggestions  may  he 
given. 

I  speak  chiefly  in  reference  to  a  mercantile 
community,  and  to  the  disposal  of  money  by  the 
persons  who  have  acquired  it.  The  law  of  entail 
places  the  greater  part  of  the  heritable  property 
of  this  country  beyond  our  category.  The  pos- 
sessor for  the  time  being  has  no  power  to  alienate. 
I  speak  of  those  who  have  unrestrained  power,  and 
consequently  are  under  undivided  responsibility. 
A  man  of  wealth  should  consider  well  before  he 
leave  a  large  fortune  to  his  son.  It  may  in  some 
cases  be  safely  done ;  but  it  is  not  to  be  done  as 
a  thing  of  course.  If  you  have  accumulated  the 
money,  and  not  trusted  yourself  with  the  spending 
of  it,  do  you  think  it  likely  that  your  heirs  will 
use  it  more  wisely  than  you  would  have  done  ? 
For  myself,  I  think  if  by  my  skill  and  industry  I 
had  acquired  a  large  sum  of  money,  I  would  like 
to  have  a  hand  in  the  spending  of  it.  It  would 
probably  be  as  usefully  scattered  abroad  by  the 
hand  that  made  it,  as  by  the  hand  that  merely 
got  it.  There  are  two  questions  closely  connected 
here.  There  is,  first,  the  good  of  the  community 
in  the  proper  use  of  money ;  and,  secondly,  the 
safety  of  young  persons  into  whose  power  it  has 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  165 

fallen.  Generally  these  two  go  together.  A  right 
solution  of  the  one  will  in  most  cases  be  found  to 
involve  a  right  solution  of  the  other.  If  money- 
is  foolishly  spent,  the  person  spending  it  is  greatly 
injured.  For  the  sake  of  his  child,  as  well  as 
with  a  view  to  the  right  disposal  of  his  money,  a 
parent  should  not  rashly  let  an  accumulated  trea- 
sure drop  into  the  lap  of  an  inexperienced  youth. 
You  would  not  spread  a  press  of  sail  on  a  ship, 
unless  you  had  previously  satisfied  yourself  that 
it  had  been  rendered  steady  by  a  sufficient  weight 
of  ballast.  So  should  parents  consider  the  char- 
acter and  capacity  of  their  children,  and  not  be 
instrumental  in  causing  their  shipwreck  by  giving 
them  more  than  they  can  manage.  And  as  to  the 
cruelty  of  leaving  large  fortunes  to  unprotected 
orphan  girls,  it  is  difficult  to  speak  of  it  with 
coolness.  It  is  like  spreading  rank  carrion  round 
the  defenceless  lamb,  to  attract  the  vultures  to 
their  prey.  Forthwith  the  foul  swarm  may  be 
seen  hovering  near,  in  the  shape  of  Popish  priests, 
or  profligate  wooers,  or  both  together.  Seldom 
is  the  terror  of  the  law  sufficiently  strong  or  vigi- 
lant to  scare  them  away. 

In  point  of  fact,  within  our  view,  on  the  surface 
of  society,  the  injury  done  to  youth  by  large  for- 
tunes bequeathed  seems  greatly  to  preponderate 


166      MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY    PARENTS 

over  the  good.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the 
persons  now  in  eminent  and  honorable  stations 
m  this  city  have  risen  by  their  own  exertions,  and 
comparatively  few  have  stepped  easily  upon  the 
fortunes  that  were  left  to  them.  I  suppose  you 
will  find  a  greater  number  of  youths  who  have 
tumbled  down  over  large  money  portions,  than 
of  youths  who  have  risen  to  eminence  by  aid  of 
them.  Any  one  who  has  been  acquainted  with 
mercantile  society  in  the  city  during  the  last  gene- 
ration, could  write  out  a  goodly  list  of  honorable 
and  prosperous  citizens  who  inherited  no  wealth, 
and  another  list,  equally  lengthened,  comprising 
broken-down  sons  of  wealthy  sires. 

The  example  of  a  judicious  but  generous  expen- 
diture of  money  by  a  parent,  is  a  more  precious 
legacy  to  his  child  than  all  the  accumulations 
that  parsimony  and  pride  could  bequeath.  There 
is  a  law  by  which  parsimony  in  a  parent  gene- 
rally defeats  its  own  end.  There  is  a  rule  of  con- 
traries often  observed  in  the  habits  of  father  and 
son  in  regard  to  money.  If  a  son  is  brought  up 
in  a  family  where  money  is  too  closely  kept,  he 
feels  uneasy  under  the  unnatural  contraction,  and 
as  soon  as  his  father's  breath  is  out,  he  bounds  for 
relief  to  the  opposite  extreme. 

Finally,  a  good  rule  for  Christian  parents  is  to 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  167 

let  prayer  and  pains  always  go  together.  In  so 
far  as  he  labors  to  provide  for  the  education  and 
the  comfort  of  his  children,  especially  those  who 
are  not  likely  to  be  able  to  gain  their  own  liveli- 
hood, a  father  is  at  liberty  to  ask  God's  blessing 
on  his  efforts.  But  when  one  has  already  amassed 
many  thousands,  and  is  striving  to  amass  more 
and  more,  to  be  left  as  a  portion  to  his  children, 
he  would  do  well  to  add  prayer  to  his  pains. 
Perhaps  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  pray  for  more 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  to  be  left  behind 
him.  Perhaps  the  request,  if  he  makes  an  effort 
to  be  particular,  will  startle  him ;  and  clearly  a 
Christian  is  not  in  a  right  position  if  he  is  labor- 
ing for  any  thing  for  which  he  cannot  pray.  Let 
us  remember  that  we  and  our  children  are  under 
law  to  Christ,  and  on  our  way  to  the  judgment. 
Let  us  act  under  the  power  of  a  world  to  come. 
Eegarding  money,  like  other  talents,  the  command 
of  the  Lord  is,  not  acquire  and  bequeath,  but  occupy. 
To  spend  life  in  gathering  his  hoard  together,  and 
then  leave  it  in  the  lump  to  his  successor,  is  the 
part  of  a  fool.  The  care  of  a  wise  man  is  to  use 
it  well.  To  use  his  money  well  during  his  own 
life,  is  at  once  the  best  service  to  God  which  a 
parent  can  get  out  of  money,  aud  the  most  valu- 
able legacy  which  he  can  transmit  to  his  child. 


168      MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

In  uttering  these  warnings  regarding  the  love 
of  money,  I  have  all  along  felt  my  eall  clear,  and 
my  footing  firm.  The  church  and  the  commu- 
nity need  a  reproof  on  that  subject ;  and  the  Bible 
contains  plain  reproofs  suited  to  the  case.  It  is  a 
spurious  spirituality  that  would  forbid  such  themes 
as  unworthy  of  a  place  in  a  preached  gospel.  The 
blessed  Jesus  admitted  these  things  into  his 
preaching,  and  why  should  they  be  excluded  from 
ours  ?  Whatever  hinders  Christ's  kingdom  within 
us,  is  a  legitimate  subject  of  address  from  the  pul- 
pit. The  whole  counsel  of  God  must  be  unfolded, 
to  meet  the  whole  machinery  of  Satan.  If  we 
collect  all  our  strength  at  the  centre,  leaving  the 
flank  exposed,  the  enemy  will  turn  our  position 
there,  and  overwhelm  us.  I  have  been  endeavor- 
ing to  strengthen  a  portion  of  the  defence  that 
seems  to  be  yielding  in  these  days,  where  the  enemy 
seems  ready  to  burst  in  like  a  destroying  flood.* 

[  *  The  Preacher  seems  painfully  aware  that  he  was  urging 
an  unwelcome  topic.  He  apprehends  it  will  be  thought  a 
subject  unsuited  to  the  sacred  desk.  But  his  theme  had  been 
chiefly  a  denunciation  of  covetousness.  If  that  had  been 
unwelcome  to  the  ears  of  the  wealthy  occupants  of  his  pews 
in  the  great  city  of  Glasgow,  noted  for  its  riches,  its  intelli- 
gence, and  its  enterprise,  how  would  their  complacency  have 
been  disturbed  if  the  orator,  deserting  the  negative  teaching 
of  his  subject,  had  taken  for  his  theme,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself'' !    Pursuing  the  leadings  of  this  positive 


TO    THEIR    CHILDREN.  169 

If  any  are  disposed  to  say,  "  Money  is  not  the 
material  for  making  sermons  of;  let  us  hear  a 
sublimer  theme ;  let  us  have  the  fulness  of  Christ 
poured  out  for  those  who  are  disciples,  and  let  the 
sharp  arrows  of  the  Lord  fly — the  lightnings  of 
the  law  flash  forth  —  to  bring  convicting  wounds 
to  a  still  hard  heart;"  —  if  any  are  disposed  to 
object,  on  these  or  similar  grounds,  to  the  series 
of  lectures  that  has  now  been  brought  to  a  close, 
I  have  an  answer  ready :  I  have  a  reason  which 
compelled  me  to  do  it,  and  justitiel  me  now  that 
it  is  done. 

1.  As  to  the  edification  of  believers.  As  I  am 
enabled,  I  endeavor  to  spread  the  bread  of  life 
before  those  who  are  hungering  for  righteousness. 
But  the  results,  though  real  and  visible,  I  dare  not 
pronounce  to  be  satisfactory.  I  observe  certain 
obstructions  in  the  way  of  the  Lord.  After  his 
own  example,  I  strike  at  these  —  now  at  one,  now 
at  another,  if  so  be  I  may  remove  them  out  of  the 
way.    Some  impediment  in  the  spiritual  economy 

command,  he  would  have  invaded  their  selfishness,  their  want 
of  Christian  probity,  their  vanity,  their  oppression  and  neg- 
lect of  the  poor,  in  a  thousand  points  which  he  has  left 
untouched.  We  trust  he  will  return,  to  the  charge  under  the 
command  of —  "  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thy  self."  He  will 
make  a  great  campaign  when  he  takes  that  field.  —  C] 


170      MONEY  BEQUEATHED  BY  PARENTS 

so  mars  our  best  designs,  that  the  supply  of  food 
does  not  increase  the  strength.  Money  is  one  root 
of  this  evil.  Money  sticks  in  the  channel,  and 
stands  in  the  way.  I  pause,  as  Jesus  did,  in  the 
work  of  preaching  the  glorious  gospel — I  pause 
that  I  may  cry  aloud,  "  Take  heed  and  beware  of 
covetousness."  He  did  this,  and  why  should  not 
I  ?  Nothing  shall  turn  me  from  a  course  while  I 
am  sure  that  I  am  following  His  steps. 

2.  As  to  the  convincing  of  the  careless.  If  any 
are  disposed  to  regret  the  prominence  given  to 
expositions  regarding  covetousness,  on  the  ground 
that  the  time  should  have  been  occupied  in  efforts 
to  get  people  converted,  I  answer,  the  low  worldly 
living  of  the  disciples  is  one  of  the  greatest  ob- 
stacles to  conversion.  The  devotion  to  money, 
and  the  fruits  that  spring  from  it,  as  exhibited  in 
those  that  seem  believers,  scare  away  those  in- 
quirers who  are  disposed  to  come  in.  The  greed, 
the  selfishness,  the  dishonesty,  the  hardness,  that 
are  sometimes  seen  in  professing  Christians,  are 
main  hindrances  to  the  work  of  conversion.  Aim 
at  conversion  !  Yes,  and  so  I  do.  I  am  aiming 
at  conversion  when  I  wield  the  testimony  of  the 
"Word  against  these  sins  of  yours.  Those  that  are 
entering  in  ye  hinder.     "We  cannot  expect  many 


TO   THEIR   CHILDREN.  171 

to  be  converted,  unless  those  who  are  Christians 
arise  and  shine  in  the  light  of  the  Lord.  To  shake 
ourselves  free  from  the  dust,  to  lay  up  our  trea- 
sures in  heaven,  to  let  it  be  felt  that  our  hearts  are 
there,  is  a  main  part  of  the  wisdom  that  wins  a 
brother's  soul. 


18 


APPENDIX 


The  present  volume  is  offered  to  the  public  as  the 
first  of  a  series,  to  appear  under  the  supervision  of  the 
present  editor,  selected  with  a  view  to  their  illustration 
of  the  bearing  of  Christianity  on  the  social  interests  of 
men.  Such  works  will  be  taken  for  this  purpose  as  are 
best  fitted  for  popular  reading,  and  contain,  at  the 
same  time,  the  richest  fund  of  instruction  in  both  facts 
and  principles.  We  are  not  without  hope  of  receiving, 
from  American  writers,  original  works  for  this  series ; 
but  our  main  resort  must,  for  the  present,  be  to  foreign 
literature.  If  the  books  thus  republished  contain  much 
not  strictly  applicable  here,  let  us  take  warning  from 
offences  of  which  we  are  not  yet  guilty,  but  to  the 
commission  of  which  we  may  be  hastening ;  let  us  re- 
member that  now  is  the  hour  of  prevention  as  well  as 
of  reform,  and  let  us  hope  that  our  literature  will  soon 
be  adorned  with  works,  shedding  a  blaze  of  Christian 
light  upon  the  whole  range  of  social  philosophy,  and 
upon  all  the  complications  of  politics  and  social  life. 
If  any  persons  competent  to  treat  these  subjects  with 
advantage  to  the  public,  fear  that  our  course  may  be 
too  liberal,  we  invite  them  to  contribute  one  or  more 
volumes  to  the  series,  the  only  design  of  which  is,  to 

(173) 


174  APPENDIX. 

extend  the  domain  of  Christianity  over  the  whole  ground 
of  Political  Economy  and  Social  Philosophy. 

It  is  not  our  object,  as  some  lull  their  consciences  by 
asserting,  to  construct  a  religion  out  of  charity  and 
humanity,  but  it  is  to  carry  Evangelical  religion,  with 
its  spiritual  energy  and  upholding  wisdom,  into  the 
charity  and  humanity  of  this  world,  that  these  virtues 
may  become  graces  and  ornaments  of  Christian  life, 
and  powerful  elements  in  the  progress  of  social 
reformation. 

The  reader  will  find,  on  the  following  pages,  the 
outline  of  a  work  on  Christian  Charity,  for  which  a 
premium  of  $500  is  offered  by  the  editor,  and  an  ad- 
ditional $500  by  the  publishers  of  this  volume.  This 
outline  is  intended  merely  to  designate  the  extent  of 
the  subject,  and  not  to  prescribe  the  arrangement  of 
the  work  to  be  offered.  We  trust  the  invitation  thus 
extended  to  those  competent  to  wipe  away  the  heavy 
reproach  which  lies  upon  our  religious  literature,  that 
it  contains  no  adequate  exposition  of  the  great  command, 
"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself"  —  and  no 
comprehensive  work  on  the  religious  duty  of  man  to 
man — on  Christian  Charity,  will  not  be  long  neglected. 
Above  all,  let  us  not  encounter  the  derision  of  the 
world  for  such  neglect. 

The  time  for  completing  works  designed  for  this 
prize  was  at  first  limited  to  May  1,  1854,  but  it  is  now 
extended  to  May  1,  1856,  or  to  such  other  time  as  may 
be  arranged  with  those  who  may  be  disposed  to  enter 
into  the  competition. 


APPENDIX.  175 


THE  LAW  OR  DOCTRINE  OF  CHRISTIAN  CHARITY,  AS 
TAUGHT  AND  EXEMPLIFIED  BY  CHRIST  AND  HIS 
DISCIPLES. 

The  scope  of  such  a  treatise  should  include  all  the 
instructions  of  Christ  and  of  his  apostles  bearing  on 
the  subject. 

The  question  should  be  examined  whether  the  moral 
law  is  to  be  regarded  as  coming  to  us  chiefly  or  mainly 
from  the  words  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  or  from  the 
Decalogue,  as  developed  and  expanded  by  uninspired 
writers. 

The  various  creeds,  articles,  compends,  confessions 
of  faith,  and  other  summaries  of  Christianity,  emanating 
from  or  used  by  Protestants,  should  be  examined  with 
reference  to  their  deficiencies  in  the  elements  of  the 
doctrine  of  charity.  This  examination  may  be  accom- 
panied by  suggestions  of  revision  and  amendment. 

All  that  is  recommended  or  enjoined  by  Christ  and 
his  apostles  in  reference  to  the  duties  and  demeanor 
of  men  towards  each  other,  and  in  reference  to  the 
manner  and  motives  of  their  conduct,  should  be  con- 
sidered and  treated  as  a  development  of  the  doctrine 
of  Christian  Charity,  constituting  a  system  of  Christian 
morality,  with  applications  to  the  chief  relations  and 
business  of  life. 

This  will  include,  of  course, — "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself;"  and,  "As  ye  would   that  men 

18* 


176  APPENDIX. 

should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them  likewise  j"  and 
also  the  due  consideration  of  all  the  kindly  affections 
and  mutual  good  offices  which  all  men  owe  to  their 
fellow-men : 

The  forgiveness  of  injuries. 

The  granting  of  favors  without  hope  of  reward. 

The  loving  our  enemies  and  those  who  despitefully 
use  us. 

The  being  peacemakers;  placable;  self-denying; 
easy  to  be  entreated  ;  hospitable ;  compassionate  ;  pa- 
tient ;  not  covetous ;  not  ambitious;  not  prone  to  judge 
others ;  not  envious. 

The  duties  of  rulers  and  legislators  in  reference  to 
human  well-being. 

The  duties  of  citizens  ;  subjects  ;  masters ;  slaves ; 
and  of  men  in  other  public  relations. 

The  duty  of  men  in  authority,  legislators,  Christian 
ministers,  and  of  all  enlightened  men  favored  by  edu- 
cation, experience,  wTealth,  and  influence  in  society, 
and,  finally,  of  all  men,  to  study  the  solution,  under 

THE  LIGHT  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  OF  ALL  THE  GREAT 
SOCIAL  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS  WHICH  BEAR  ON 
HUMAN    WELFARE,    SUCh    aS  : 

The  organization  of  labor,  or  the  means  of  securing 
to  laborers,  as  far  as  may  be  practicable,  the  due  and 
regular  reward  of  their  labor  ;  and  herein  how  far  the 
labor  of  those  who  live  by  their  labor  alone,  should  be 
a  special  object  of  solicitude  to  the  governing  powers 
of  a  nation. 

Whether  competition  should  be  the  only  or  chief 


APPENDIX.  177 

regulator  of  industry,  and  whether  the  rate  of  wages 
should  depend  wholly  on  the  results  of  competition. 

Whether  the  rewards  of  industry  and  the  consequent 
well-being  of  the  laboring  classes,  should  be  dependent 
on  the  action  and  results  of  foreign  commerce. 

Whether  the  subject  of  labor,  as  the  poor  man's 
only  possession,  should  not  be  deemed  an  independent 
topic,  demanding  consideration  on  its  own  separate 
merits,  with  a  development  from  the  single  point  of 
human  well-being. 

The  subject  of  public  education  should  be  consi- 
dered under  its  Christian  aspects.  In  the  United  States 
no  denomination  of  Christians  can  teach  all  the  chil- 
dren, and  all  the  denominations  united  must  fall  short 
in  any  effort  to  reach  the  whole  of  the  youth  of  the 
country ;  whether,  therefore,  all  true  Christians  may 
not  advocate  and  sustain  some  system  of  public  educa- 
tion. This  system  should,  of  course,  be  such  in  a 
religious  respect  as  evangelical  Christians  may  be  able 
to  agree  upon  in  a  spirit  of  concession  to  each  other, 
and  in  a  spirit  of  kindness  to  all  others ;  and  such  as 
they  should  unite  to  carry  into  effect,  so  that  no  chil- 
dren should  be  suffered  to  go  without  its  advantages. 
Every  individual  and  every  church  may  and  should 
care  for  the  children  in  their  special  charge ;  but  the 
performance  of  this  duty,  however  complete,  cannot 
discharge  them  from  duty  toward  other  children  within 
the  reach  of  their  influence. 

There  are  other  subjects  in  reference  to  human  wel- 
fare which,  if  not  treated  in  some  detail,  should  be 
referred  to  as  among  those  upon  which  the  light  of 


178  APPENDIX. 

Christianity  should  be  shed,  and  as  to  which  it  should 
be  known  that  Christians  are  ever  alive,  anxious  for 
information,  and  desirous  for  the  progress  of  the  truth. 

Separate  property  and  unequal  accumulation  are  in 
accordance  with  the  whole  doctrine  of  charity,  which 
contemplates  a  state  of  want,  of  mutual  dependence, 
of  the  need  of  succor  and  protection,  and  the  power 
to  afford  it. 

The  whole  idea  of  Christian  stewardship  implies 
that  power  and  possessions  are  committed  to  the  steward 
for  his  proper  management. 

Superior  minds,  superior  bodily  strength  and  endur- 
ance, greater  energy  of  character  and  power  of  labor, 
wTill  command  or  acquire  greater  wealth,  and  thus 
incur  special  responsibilities  under  the  law  of  charity. 

The  responsibilities  of  the  rich  in  reference  to  the 
employment  of  the  poor;  and  as  creditors;  as  lenders; 
and  as  possessors  of  the  soil,  require,  with  other  like 
topics,  to  be  fully  developed.  Can  men  of  large  in- 
comes acquit  themselves  of  the  duty  they  owe  to  their 
fellow-men,  by  a  merely  generous  liberality  towards 
religious  and  benevolent  enterprises  ?  Can  such  shut 
themselves  quietly  and  securely  from  the  cares  of  the 
wTorld,  and  from  contact  writh  their  fellow-men,  without 
any  inquiry  into  the  situation  of  the  masses  of  their 
fellow-beings  around  them,  many  of  whom  stand  all 
the  day  idle  because  no  one  comes  to  employ  them  ? 
It  may  involve  anxiety  and  care  thus  to  look  after  the 
unemployed ;  it  should  be  considered  whether  this  is 
not  the  very  kind  of  care  which  devolves  upon  those 
who  are  rich  and  increased  in  goods,  and  which  will 


APPENDIX.  179 

be  of  equal  benefit  to  those  who  incur  it  and  those  for 
whose  benefit  it  is  exercised.  If  it  involves  a  great 
sacrifice  of  peace  and  quiet  in  the  rich  thus  to  employ 
themselves,  the  parable  of  the  talents  teaches  us  that 
their  reward  will  be  in  proportion. 

Whether  it  be  right  for  rich  men  to  keep  their  wealth 
"  laid  up  in  a  napkin,"  unproductive,  or  even  at  usury 
in  the  bank,  while  the  employment  of  the  mass  of 
laborers  is  left  to  those  of  inadequate  means,  who 
cannot  punctually  pay  the  wages  of  their  men,  and  who 
frequently  fail  and  never  pay  them. 

Whether  Christian  capitalists  are  to  consider  the 
employment  of  those  who  are  compelled  to  labor  for 
their  daily  bread,  as  one  of  their  obligations  under  the 
law  of  Christian  Charity ;  and  this  not  merely  as  to 
the  actual  employment  of  those  who  come  within  their 
reach,  but  in  reference  to  the  general  policy  of  the 
country  in  its  bearings  on  the  question  of  labor  and 
wages. 

The  law  of  charity  as  applying  specially  to  The  poor 
— The  suffering — The  helpless — The  imprisoned — The 
idle — The  vicious  —  The  insane  —  The  intemperate  — 
The  dangerous,  &c. 

The  law  of  charity  as  applied  to  nations  or  men  in 
general. 

The  duty  of  studying  what  may  tend  to  the  general 
peace  of  the  world. 

What  are  those  principles  of  human  well-being  which 
are  of  equal  application  in  every  country. 


180  APPENDIX. 

What  can  be  done  to  open  the  way  and  facilitate  the 
progress  of  Christianity  throughout  the  world,  by 
showing  its  design  and  fitness  to  improve  the  condition 
of  men  in  this  life,  as  well  as  to  secure  eternal  happi- 
ness in  the  world  to  come. 

The  order  of  charitable  effort  might  be  considered 
thus : — 

1.  Individuals  are  personally  to  accomplish  all  they 
can  for  the  good  of  others,  not  merely  for  the  benefit 
of  those  whom  they  serve,  but  for  the  reflex  benefit  of 
charitable  action  on  themselves. 

2.  Congregations,  as  such,  are  to  carry  their  chari- 
table efforts  as  far  as  the  range  of  their  power,  and  then 
commit  wider  action  to, — 

3.  Denominational  effort,  and  when  this  reaches  its 
final  results, — 

4.  The  whole  body  of  Christians  must  unite  in  the 
work  of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  humanity,  and 
thus  opening  the  loay  to  the  progress  of  the  truth  and 
the  final  triumph  of  the  gospel. 

The  advantages  of  denominational  subdivision  in 
reference  to  details,  supervision,  and  discipline,  should 
be  fully  appreciated  so  far  as  their  influence  extends  ; 
the  co-operation  of  the  whole  Christian  body  in  certain 
movements  is  not  only  of  equal  advantage,  but  often 
of  indispensable  necessity. 

The  effectual  work  of  charity  demands  the  minute 
care  of  denominational  and  the  united  strength  of  the 
whole  body  of  Christians.     Should  enlightened  Chris- 


APPENDIX.  181 

tians  refuse  all  co-operation  or  unity  of  action,  and 
place  every  movement  on  the  narrow  ground  of  secta- 
rian effort;  thus  not  only  narrowing  the  basis  of  action, 
but  contracting  the  views  of  the  actors ;  throwing  away 
the  power  of  united  effort,  and  presenting  a  divided 
force  for  the  enemy  to  conquer  in  detail  ? 


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